New Democracy's intervention on Turkish officers
- Written by E.Tsiliopoulos
"It is a matter of honor and prestige for Greece to confirm that in a European country, in a European Rule of Law, the Justice decides unaffected and undistracted by any internal or external intervention attempt," main opposition New Democracy's shadow foreign policy minister George Koumoutsakos said on Tuesday.
Eight Turkish military officers who flew their helicopter to Greece to seek asylum after last year’s coup attempt are posing a dilemma for Alexis Tsipras, the Greek prime minister, as their fight against extradition draws to a close.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s administration wants the six army search-and-rescue pilots and two technicians to be extradited on charges of attempting to overthrow the government. Greece’s supreme court is due to hear the men’s appeals this week.
Mr Tsipras has told Mr Erdogan that “putschists are not welcome in Greece”. But he and his leftwing Syriza-led government will face harsh criticism at home and Europe if the extradition goes ahead, which the Greek government could force through whatever the supreme court’s ruling.
In a telephone interview, a spokesman for the group said they strongly deny complicity in the coup attempt in Turkey in July.
EU and Greek law forbids extradition to a country where an alleged offender would be at risk of torture. Human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have accused Turkey of turning a blind eye to allegations of torture, beatings and denial of access to lawyers for people detained or arrested as part of a purge of those suspected of coup involvement. Turkish officials deny the accusations.
The helicopter crewmen’s case cuts to the core of Greece’s tense relationship with Turkey, a Nato ally yet a longstanding rival for control of the Aegean Sea.
