Sevan Nisanyan lauds Armenian Embassy for getting him out of Greek jail

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkish-Armenian writer Sevan Nisanyan has hailed the efforts of the Armenian Embassy in Athens in having him released from a prison in Greece.

Nisanyan had been jailed in Turkey in 2014 on charges of illegal construction, a case he claims was punishment for his outspoken views about restrictions on freedom of expression in the country. He escaped from a low-security prison in 2017 and pursued asylum in Greece. The 66-year-old linguist was detained on the island of Samos after Greek authorities refused to renew his residence permit. Before a court decision to release him on Friday, January 7, Nisanyan was facing deportation to Turkey.

"The Embassy of Armenia and especially ambassador Tigran Mkrtchyan made an incredible effort to save me, worked day and night, and did not leave me alone for a moment," Nisanyan said in a Facebook post.

"For the first time in my life, I felt that a state was standing behind my back unconditionally and without hesitation. It's a very different feeling. I didn't know."