Two Greek tourists, including Melbourne man Michael Mazis, have been handed 10-month suspended prison sentences by a court in Istanbul after displaying a Greek War of Independence-era flag inside Hagia Sophia.
The incident took place on April 9 at the historic monument, which was built in the sixth century as a Byzantine cathedral under Justinian I and now operates as a mosque.
Turkish authorities said a 42-year-old man concealed the blue-and-white flag beneath his coat before unfurling it inside the site with the assistance of a 35-year-old woman.
The flag featured a white cross symbolising Orthodox Christianity and the slogan “Orthodoxy or Death.”
Video footage of the incident led police to locate and detain the pair at their hotel on April 11. They were charged with “insulting a section of the public” under Turkish law.
The court imposed 10-month prison sentences, suspended for five years. The two tourists are no longer in custody and are expected to return to Greece once administrative procedures are completed.
Source: Ekathimerini.
