Greece turns over 3 of 8 Turkish officers of failed coup against Erdogan

In a decision today, the Greek Appeals Justice Council has agreed to turn over three of the eight military personnel who fled to Greek following a failed coup attempt against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in July , while they declined Turkey’s request for the extradition of another three on Monday.
The court reasoned that the latter three, of a total of eight officers seeking asylum in Greece, face serious threats to their lives if they return to their homeland, and that there was not sufficient evidence linking them to the coup attempt against Turkey’s leader.
The three officers who have been denied asylum are currently appealing the court decision, claiming they would not be given a fair trial if extradited, and that they would also be subjected to torture. Their prosecutor has pointed out that the families of the eight Turkish officers have already been subjected to persecution in Turkey, while the European Parliament halted EU accession talks with Turkey over concerns of human rights violations and the lack of democratic process.
In mid-July, the two Turkish commanders, four captains and two sergeants had landed a helicopter in the northern city of Alexandroupolis shortly after the botched coup, requesting asylum from the Greek government.
The court is expected to decide the fate of the remaining two Turkish officers imminently.
The case is difficult for Greece given that it depends on Turkey to stem the flow of tens of thousands of migrants to its shores.

Sources: ERT, France24