Turkish police have arrested four individuals in connection with the recent desecration of a Greek Orthodox cemetery in Constantinople, which serves the community of Tatavla in the Kurtuluş district.
The incident occurred early last Friday morning when staff at the Saint Eleftherios Cemetery discovered that a six-meter pit had been illegally excavated within a fenced-off cemetery area. Although no graves or the cemetery chapel were damaged, the intrusion deeply disturbed the local community.
According to a statement from Constantinople police, the excavation occurred around 4:50 a.m. The suspects were later tracked to the Küçükçekmece suburb, located west of Constantinople. They had arrived at the cemetery in two vehicles. Upon their arrest, authorities found 48 pages of documents detailing locations and instructions for finding hidden treasure, along with a metal detector, six explosives used for breaking rocks, a notebook, and an air gun.
The Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate have strongly condemned the vandalism at Saint Eleftherios Cemetery, describing it as an attack “not only on a cemetery, but also on a deep-rooted cultural heritage and religion.” They emphasized that this act of desecration and hatred targeted the Greek Orthodox community of Constantinople and reflected contempt for religious freedom.
The Archons noted that even the guard dogs patrolling the site were sedated, allowing the perpetrators to carry out their crime unimpeded. They have called on the Turkish government to swiftly apprehend and prosecute those responsible, reaffirming the government’s commitment to religious tolerance and freedom.
Without decisive action, the Archons warned, the vandalism at Saint Eleftherios Cemetery—established in 1865—would serve as a grim reminder of the increasingly precarious situation faced by religious minority communities in Turkey.
The Archons remain firmly dedicated to protecting the future of faith for the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Greek Orthodox community of Constantinople, and all Greek Orthodox Christians and people of faith worldwide. They expressed deep sorrow to the Tatavla community over this incident and urged the Turkish government to provide swift and adequate redress.
