Greece's
Supreme Court ruled against the extradition of eight Turkish soldiers who fled
to Greece in July after a failed coup attempt in Turkey, a decision which
angered
Ankara and further strained relations between the two neighbors.
Turkey has
demanded Greece extradite them, alleging they were involved in the coup attempt
and has branded them traitors.
The men --
three majors, three captains and two sergeant-majors -- landed a helicopter in
northern Greece on July 16 and sought political asylum saying they feared for
their lives in Turkey.
They deny
playing a role in the attempt to oust President Tayyip Erdogan, which led to a
purge of the military and civil service.
"The
possibility of their rights being violated or reduced regardless of the degree
of guilt or the gravity of the crimes they are accused of does not allow the
implementation of extradition rules," a Supreme Court president said.
The soldiers
have been kept in protective custody pending final decisions on their asylum
applications in Greece. Their lawyer Christos Mylonopoulos said the verdict was
"a big victory for European values".
But the
decision brought an angry response from the Turkish foreign ministry, which
accused Greece of protecting plotters and said relations between the two
countries would be reviewed.
Turkey would
"use all avenues of law" to ensure the soldiers' extradition and
prosecution, it added.
"Once
again Greece, an ally and a neighbor, has failed to fulfill the basics of the
fight against terrorism," it said.
"The
impact of this decision thought to be made with political motives on our mutual
ties, our cooperation in the fight against terrorism and our work on other
mutual and regional issues will be subject to a comprehensive review."
The state-run
Anadolu news agency reported earlier that Turkish authorities had issued arrest
warrants for the soldiers.
The soldiers
have been accused in Turkey of attempting to abrogate the constitution,
attempting to dissolve parliament and seizing a helicopter using violence and
for attempting to assassinate Erdogan.
Relations
between Greece and Turkey, neighbors and NATO allies, have improved over the
years but they remain at odds over territorial disputes and ethnically split
Cyprus. In 1996, they almost reached the brink of war over an uninhabited
islet.
The two
countries play an important role in the handling of Europe's worst migration
crisis in decades and the EU depends on Ankara to enforce a deal to stem mass
migration to Europe.
REUTERS
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