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Akbar Novruz

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A Russian couple is facing possible deportation from Türkiye after being detained for allegedly reading passages from the Bible inside Istanbul's Hagia Sophia, AzerNEWS reports..

The couple, identified as Viktoria Filonova and Igor Filonov, were detained earlier this week after Igor reportedly read aloud from the Bible while visiting the historic site, which was reconverted from a museum into a mosque in 2020. The incident reportedly took place in the visitor section of Hagia Sophia after the couple had arrived in Istanbul from Moscow.

According to Russia's state-owned RIA Novosti, the pair were initially taken to a police station before being transferred to a deportation center, where Turkish authorities are considering their removal from the country. The Russian Consulate General in Istanbul said it is in contact with the couple's lawyer and Turkish officials regarding the case.

Turkish media reported that prosecutors are investigating the couple on suspicion of inciting hatred or hostility, while authorities continue to review the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Hagia Sophia, originally built as a Byzantine cathedral in the sixth century, served as a mosque after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople before becoming a museum in 1935. In 2020, Türkiye officially restored the site's status as a mosque, while keeping parts of the monument open to visitors outside prayer times.