236 Turkish citizens sought asylum in Greece since coup attempt

Yorgo Kirbaki - ATHENS

A total of 236 Turkish citizens have sought asylum in Greece since the July 2016 failed coup attempt, marking a rising trend in the number of requests compared to previous years.

According to official data from the Greek Asylum Services seen by daily Kathimerini, 236 Turkish citizens requested political asylum in the country between July 2016 and February 2017, with most of them are believed to be the members of the Fethullahist Terror Organization (FETÖ), which was accused of the attempted takeover on July 15, 2016.

According to figures, some 43 Turkish citizens sought asylum in Greece in 2015 while another 51 requested political asylum in the country between January 1, 2016 and July 14, 2016.

Some 98 of the asylum requests were made in 2017, the data showed.

Meanwhile, the re-trial process of eight former Turkish soldiers who escaped to Greece following the coup attempt will begin soon. The process for Ankara’s new demand on their extradition has also begun.

In January, the Greek top appeals court had rejected the extradition of the soldiers. 

While they are still waiting for the outcome of their asylum request, Turkey’s NATO ally Norway have already granted asylum for four Turkish soldiers and a military attache in the country.