Two Turkish military officers who fled to Greece following the controversial coup attempt on July 15, 2016 were granted political refugee status on Wednesday after an appeal lodged by the Greek government was rejected.
The pair, who Ankara wants to extradite as “terrorists,” had been told they were allowed to stay by asylum authorities, although the Greek state contested the ruling. They are part of a group of eight Turkish military officers who arrived in neighboring Greece after the controversial coup attempt, and their fate has strained relations between Athens and Ankara.
Greece’s top administrative court, the Council of State, on Wednesday found in favor of the co-pilot of the helicopter which flew men over the border, and the decision also applies to another soldier.
The judicial source told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the Greek government has launched an appeal against the second ruling, the result of which will apply to the next six officers. According to their lawyers, the eight military officers wish to leave the country, fearing they could be kidnapped by the Turkish services in Greece.
Greece’s Supreme Court has already ruled that the eight will not be extradited, arguing that they would not have a fair trial at home.
Turkish government has slammed the Greek court decision granting the right to apply for asylum to Turkish military officers. “This is the most shameful decision that can ever be given for a country,” EU Minister Ömer Çelik claimed via his Twitter account late on Wednesday.
“The legal system of the EU-member Greece has decided to protect terrorists who had initiated for a coup attempt in a bid to destroy democracy in Turkey. This mentality has stood with terrorists against Turkey,” Çelik added.
Moreover, in a written statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry also condemned the Greek court’s decision. “With this decision, Greece has been registered as a country that protects coup plotters in the eyes of the international community,” it alleged, calling on Greece to “not repeat the same mistake.”
A further complication arose in March, when Turkish forces arrested two Greek soldiers who crossed the border whilst allegedly lost in the fog. They have been incarcerated for the past two months. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last month floated the idea of an exchange, which was flatly rejected by his Greek counterpart Prokopis Pavlopoulos.
The post Top Greek court grants asylum to two Turkish military officers accused of coup links appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.
from Stockholm Center for Freedom https://stockholmcf.org/top-greek-court-grants-asylum-to-two-turkish-military-officers-accused-of-coup-links/
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