The Turkish Foreign Ministry released a provocative press statement accusing the Greek justice system of “protecting terrorist organisations” after the verdict of an Athens Appeals Court rejecting Turkey’s request for extradition of one of 9 Turkish nationals of Kurdish origin, named Mehmet Dogan accused in Turkey of being a member of a terrorist group. The statement read:
“It is deeply disappointing that our extradition request for Memet Doğan, a member of DHKP/C terrorist organization who was captured in a police operation carried out in Athens, on November 28, 2017, was rejected by the Appeals Court of Athens.
This judgment, which is another new example of the Greek courts’ approach on protecting terrorist organizations, neither complies with the international obligations of Greece to combat terrorism nor is it compatible with good neighbourly relations.
In the future, we expect the Greek judiciary to take just and lawful decisions, free from political pressure.”
On Friday, the Three-Member Athens Appeals Council had upheld the proposal by a prosecutor that rejected the extradition of a Turkish national who had been arrested in Athens before the arrival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Athens on the grounds that he was at risk of suffering torture and inhumane treatment of he was sent to Turkey.