Greek media reported on Wednesday 10 Turkish citizens were detained recently on Rhodes island requesting political asylum. Greek Prime Alexis Tsipras was due to meet with Mr. Erdogan on Wednesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in NY.
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ATHENS-Three of the eight Turkish army officers who fled to Greece after July’s failed coup attempt in Turkey have had their asylum requests rejected, a Greek government official said Wednesday.
According to state agency ANA, Tsipras told Erdogan that democracy was “very important” to Greece and coup plotters were “not welcome”.
Tomara said she would appeal against the rejection and request a re-examination for her other two clients, which she said could be done in the next nine months.
The lawyer said the rejection was based on the “arbitrary” assumption that the officer in question had taken part in the foiled coup.
Turkey has formally sought the men’s extradition, labelling all eight of them as “traitors” and “terrorist elements”.
The human rights group said that despite an agreement among European Union leaders for the continent to take in 120,000 refugees a year ago, many countries had taken less than 5% of the people they pledged to help, and in some instances nations had not taken in any. The men deny the accusations.
They asked for asylum after arriving in Greece, but were arrested and received two-month suspended jail sentences on charges of entering the country illegally.
If sent home, their lives could be in danger, one of their lawyers has said.
A total of eight soldiers affiliated with the Gülenist terror group (FETÖ), including three majors, three lieutenants and two sergeant majors fled Turkey by a Skorsky helicopter and landed in Alexandroupolis a day after the failure of the coup attempt.
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The case threatens to strain ties between the uneasy North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies, with Ankara labelling the eight “terrorists”.
