Greek appeals court rejects Turkey’s request for extradition of eight soldiers

ATHENS - Reuters

A Greek appeals court on March 16 rejected a Turkish demand for the handover of eight Turkish soldiers accused of having a direct role in Turkey’s July 2016 coup attempt.

The ruling marked the third extradition request that the Greek courts have refused, in an issue that has strained relations between the two NATO allies.

The eight former Turkish servicemen had fled to Greece a day after the coup attempt. They are accused by the Turkish authorities of being coup plotters and members of the movement of U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, today dubbed the Fetullahist Terrorist Organization (FETO) in Turkey, and they are also accused of murder, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on March 16.

The Greek court in its ruling said the accusations are vague and lacked evidence, while also stating that the defendants will not receive fair trial in Turkey.

Earlier extradition requests by Turkey had been rejected on the same grounds.

The Turkish government, a former ally of the Gülen movement, now accuses FETÖ of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions including the military, the police and the judiciary.