Supreme President Savas C. Tsivicos has issued the following statement:

The Order of AHEPA strongly condemns the conversion of The Chora Museum, a former historic Greek Orthodox church and UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Constantinople, into a mosque by the Erdogan regime.

This action further demonstrates Turkey’s profound and blatant disregard for religious freedom and international norms, and it violates international and U.S. laws. It cements Turkey’s abysmal record on these standards.

As The Chora Museum is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, we call on the international community to hold Turkey accountable to the international bodies and conventions to which it is a signatory, which stipulate Turkey’s responsibilities to preserve its rich cultural and religious heritage. We also call on the U.S. government to condemn the Erdogan regime for this action.

Like Hagia Sophia, The Chora Church is a gift to all humankind. Its value is universal.

We call for its swift restoration to a museum for all to behold and for its precious religious and cultural heritage to be protected and preserved.

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