Russian Tourists Detained in Istanbul After Reading the Bible Inside Hagia Sophia

A Russian couple vacationing in Turkey has been placed in a detention center for foreign nationals after authorities detained them for reading the Bible inside Istanbul's Hagia Sophia. The couple now faces deportation as Russian diplomats work to clarify their legal status.

Tourists Detained After Bible Reading Inside Hagia Sophia

Victoria F., 35, and her husband, Igor F., 32, arrived in Istanbul from Moscow on July 13. The following day, they visited Hagia Sophia, one of the city's most famous landmarks. According to Ostorozhno, Novosti, Igor took out a Bible he had brought with him and began reading from it inside the building.

Igor said security personnel immediately surrounded the couple and escorted them out of the mosque before taking them to a police station in Istanbul's Fatih district. At the time, officers were deciding whether to keep them in custody or transfer them to a deportation center.

"The consulate isn't answering. We only have a few minutes while we're still able to communicate. Honestly, we don't know what to do or who to turn to," the man said.

According to the police report, Victoria told investigators that she did not know reading the Bible was prohibited in the museum section of Hagia Sophia. She said she occasionally glanced at the passage her husband was reading but did not read the Bible herself.

Authorities suspect the couple of violating Article 216 of Turkey's Criminal Code, which covers incitement to hatred or hostility and insulting religious values under circumstances that may threaten public order.

Couple Transferred to Deportation Center as Consular Assistance Continues

Later, authorities transferred the couple to a detention center for foreign nationals in Istanbul's Arnavutköy district ahead of deportation proceedings.

According to Igor, he was separated from his wife. He also said that they had not eaten for a long time.

Under Turkish procedures, foreign nationals are often moved to such facilities within 48 hours of detention. Administrative detention may last up to six months and authorities can extend it for another six months if deportation cannot proceed because of missing documents or a lack of cooperation.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said the Russian Consulate General in Istanbul is handling the case. The Russian Embassy in Turkey also confirmed that consular officials remain in contact with the couple's lawyer.

Hagia Sophia was built in the sixth century as a Christian cathedral before Ottoman forces converted it into a mosque after the conquest of Constantinople in 1453. In 1934, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk transformed the monument into a museum as part of Turkey's secular reforms. In 2020, under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Turkish government restored Hagia Sophia's status as a mosque while preserving its upper gallery as a museum area for visitors.