Spiegel: More Turks asking for asylum in Greece

Report also focuses on 2 Turkish soldiers allegedly implicated in attempted assassination of Erdogan

German news outlet Spiegel reports on an increasing number of Turkish nationals seeking refuge in Greece for fear of persecution by the Erdogan regime in Turkey. The article focuses on the cases of the two Turkish soldiers, who were members of a special unit allegedly involved in plans to assassinate Turlish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the night of the failed military coup on July 15. The two soldiers crossed the borders to Greece to seek asylum, with the piece stressing that the veracity of their involvement in attempt to kill Erdogan will become clearer when the Turkish authorities request their extradition from Greece As Spiegel reports the Greek authorities are maintaining a discrete stance on the issue, with the two soldiers being held in secret location and under police surveillance, which indicates the gravity of the situation, in comparison the 8 Turkish military officers who had entered Greece on the night of the coup by a helicopter. The report goes on to outline the rising tensions between the two countries, making reference to the numerous violations of Turkish aircraft over the Aegean Sea. Meanwhile, more Turkish citizens are seeking safety in Greece, citing FRONTEX data, according to which 40 Turkish national had been detained in the past few weeks alone attempting to cross into Greece. The article also reports on the case of Greek lawyer in Alexandroupolis, who represents a Turkish law student who was detained and tortured by the Turkish police in December for posting a tweet against Erdogan. The students crossed the into Greece through Evros to escape prosecution and has requested asylum. “Asylum cases regarding Turkish citizens? Those are routine for me”, says the lawyer.