Top Greek court grants political asylum status to Turkish officers

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Two Turkish officers who fled to Greece following a failed 2016 coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan were granted political refugee status on Wednesday, drawing condemnation from Ankara.

The Greek government had contested an administrative decision to grant asylum to the officers, but the Council of State, Greece's top administrative court, rejected the appeal on Wednesday, a judicial source said.

The two men – whom Ankara wants to extradite as "terrorists" – are part of a group of eight Turkish officers who arrived in neighboring Greece after the failed coup, and their fate has strained relations between Athens and Ankara.

The soldiers – three majors, three captains and two sergeant majors – flew to Greece by helicopter on July 16, 2016. One of the men granted asylum on Wednesday was the co-pilot of the helicopter.

Turkey has demanded that the eight soldiers be handed over, accusing them of involvement in the abortive coup. The soldiers have denied wrongdoing and say they fear for their lives.

Greek courts have dismissed the Turkish demands, saying there were not convinced the eight would face a fair trial in their country.

Ankara says the soldiers are part of the movement led by Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey blames for masterminding the coup. The men deny involvement in the coup bid.

Turkish EU Minister Omer Celik called the Council of State ruling "the most embarrassing decision a country can make."

"The justice system of Greece, an EU member, decided to defend the terrorists who attempted a coup to overthrow democracy in Turkey," he said on Twitter.

(Top picture: People wave Turkish national flags during a march on the anniversary of a failed coup in Istanbul, Turkey, July 15, 2017. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters