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Turkish singer Isin Karaca was denied entry into Greece after arriving in Athens with her family, according to her social media statements.
Although her spouse and daughter passed through passport control without issue, Karaca was stopped by border authorities and later informed that her entry had been rejected.
Following several hours of waiting in the airport’s transit area, officials notified her that she would be deported.
Sharing her experience online, the singer showed documents given to her and described the situation in her own words:
"Do you see these papers in my hand? My entry into Athens has been denied. My daughter and my spouse were allowed in, but I was deported. We have been here for hours, and they will send us back. Not even a glass of water was given."
The incident appears to be linked to a past performance in Komotini, located in the Western Thrace region of Greece, where a significant Turkish minority lives.
During a 2024 concert in the city, Karaca performed in front of Turkish flags and sang a well-known Turkish march, later joined by the crowd in chanting a nationalist slogan.
According to the singer, this performance drew criticism in Greek media at the time and may have contributed to her being classified as an “undesirable person,” a designation used by authorities to deny entry to individuals.
Karaca stated that she believes the refusal to admit her into the country is directly tied to that concert, suggesting that what she described as an artistic performance was interpreted through a political lens.
Describing the experience as both “absurd and humiliating,” Karaca said she felt she had been treated unfairly despite arriving as a tourist.
She emphasized that the situation appeared to be handled as a national or political issue rather than a routine border control matter, adding: "We came as tourists, and we were practically declared enemies."
The singer remained in the airport transit zone for hours before being sent back, highlighting the uncertainty and lack of assistance she experienced during the process.
Born as Isin Funda Buyukkaraca on March 7, 1973, Isin Karaca is a British-born Turkish Cypriot pop singer.
She was born into a Turkish Cypriot family that had emigrated to the United Kingdom. Her mother, Seniz Buyukkaraca, runs a restaurant in Cyprus, while her father, Ali Buyukkaraca, who died in 2011, was a real estate agent originally from Afyon, Türkiye.
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