Verdict on legality of detention of Turkish officer expected on Tuesday

Lawyers argue verdict is unjust and arbitrary

The head of the Athens Administrative Court of First Instance is expected to deliver a verdict Tuesday on whether the detention of a Turkish officer who was granted asylum by the Greek courts is legal.

The president of the 8th Division of the Administrative Appellate of Athens, Eugenia Mylonopoulou had decided to extend the custody of one of the 8 Turkish servicemen, who had fled to Greece in July 2016 after the failed coup attempt in Turkey seeking asylum and protection from the government of Turkey.

Following the decision, the co-pilot of the helicopter which had landed in Alexandroupolis, Suleyman Ozkaynakcim was ordered to be remanded to the Police Department of the Olympic Village.
The defence lawyers of the Turkish officer appeared before the president of the Athens Administrative Court of First Instance today and presented their arguments and their objections to the measure of the new detention imposed on their client arguing that the continued detention was illegal and arbitrary. They proposed the mandatory stay of their client and the remaining 7 officers at a specific address that would be under the surveillance of the Greek police. The Greek government has come under immense pressure by Turkey, as the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has deemed the servicemen as complicit in trying to overthrow his legitimate government.