Two Greek nationals convicted by Istanbul court for Hagia Sophia flag incident

On April 9, two Greek nationals, a 42-year-old Greek-Australian man and his 35-year-old aunt, visited the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul as part of a five-person tourist group. While inside the site, now functioning as a mosque, the man displayed a flag featuring the Byzantine double-headed eagle and the inscription 'Orthodoxy or Death'. The pair was identified through surveillance cameras and subsequently arrested by local authorities. They faced charges of insulting a portion of the public. Following their trial 43 days later, a Turkish court handed down a 10-month suspended prison sentence. The sentence includes a five-year probation period. Both individuals are currently free and have been cleared to return to Greece without any restrictive conditions after completing formal legal procedures.