A Greek court on Monday ruled against the extradition of three Turkish soldiers who fled to Greece after a failed coup attempt in Turkey on July 15.
Turkey has demanded the extradition of eight soldiers who fled to Greece on an army helicopter seeking asylum in Alexandroupolis, a day after the abortive coup. They are three majors, three captains and two sergeant-majors.
Turkish authorities claim that the military men were amongst the perpetrators of the attempt to overthrow the Recep Tayyip Erdogan government, branding them as traitors. The soldiers denied their involvement claiming that their lives are in danger should they return to Turkey.
However, court officials and the soldiers’ lawyer said that the Greek court rejected the extradition request. The state prosecutor said that, indeed, the soldiers’ lives would be in danger in Turkey, given the purges in military and civil personnel that followed the coup attempt.
The lawyer of the three Turkish men Stavroula Tomara, told Reuters that, “I am very pleased with the ruling, they shouldn’t have been extradited… The court was objective.”
The judge ordered that the men must be released from custody and wait for their claims for political asylum in Greece.
A first-instance board has rejected the asylum claims made by the other five soldiers. They have appealed that decision and are waiting for the court to decide.
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