Turkish-Armenian writer Sevan Nişanyan arrested in Greece

A prominent Turkish-Armenian writer living under a temporary permit in Greece after fleeing a Turkish prison has been arrested and faces deportation, his wife said on Jan. 1.

Sevan Nişanyan, a 66-year-old linguist and blogger, was detained on the island of Samos on Dec. 30 after Greek authorities refused to renew his residence permit, his wife Ira Tzourou said on Facebook and Twitter.

A Samos court on Jan. 3 is to decide whether he will be deported to Turkey or Armenia, she said.

Greek police could not immediately confirm the case, but Nişanyan had said in October 2021 that he has been declared “persona non grata” by the Athens administration.

The comprehensive study he made on the Turkish and Bulgarian names of settlements in the northern part of Greece could be the main reason, according to Nişanyan.

Nişanyan had been jailed in Turkey in 2014 on charges of illegal construction in Şirince, an Aegean village in the hills amidst grapevines, peach and apple orchards.

He escaped from a low-security prison in 2017 and settled in Greece.