Escape from Turkey to asylum in Greece

In August 2017, I met him in an apartment in a central area of Athens. For security reasons, his name could not be revealed, nor could his face be shown. The 25-year-old E. was the first Turkish citizen and supporter of the Gulen movement to be officially granted political asylum in Greece after the failed coup in Turkey.

"He said that his life was at risk in his home country due to his support for Fethullah Gulen," read the asylum decision, in reference to the former Erdogan ally who fell out of favor with the Turkish president and had been living in self-imposed exile in the US until his death on October 20. "Based on the assessed claims, it appears that the applicant has a well-founded fear of persecution in Turkey due to his alleged political beliefs."

E.'s family had ties to the Gulen movement, and he himself had become closer to Gulenists during his studies. On...