One of the eight Turkish military officers who sought had sought protection in Greece following their escape to Greece after a failed coup in Turkey in the summer of 2016 was granted asylum on Saturday.
The decision by the Asylum Appeals Committee puts immense pressure of the Greek government, as one of the issues Turkey had pressed hard on was the extradition of the 8 servicemen to Turkey to stand trial on charges of treason.
The competent Court responsible for applications in the second degree approved a request for protection from the co-pilot of the helicopter that flew the eight officers to Alexandroupolis on July 16, 2016.
According to the Athens news agency, the committee upheld a view from human rights groups, the Council of Europe and other international agencies denouncing Turkey for violating human rights in the aftermath of the failed coup.
After the verdict was announced the man was released by the police precinct at the Olympic village where he was being held until the pending asylum application was examined.
The remaining seven Turkish officers are still in custody until a decision is reached on their cases.