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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Greece rejects Turkey soldiers' extradition | Greece rejects Turkey soldiers' extradition |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Greece's Supreme Court has ruled against extraditing eight Turkish soldiers whom the Turkish government accuses of being involved in last July's attempted coup. | Greece's Supreme Court has ruled against extraditing eight Turkish soldiers whom the Turkish government accuses of being involved in last July's attempted coup. |
| The eight men fled in a helicopter to Greece after the coup attempt but say they were not involved. | The eight men fled in a helicopter to Greece after the coup attempt but say they were not involved. |
| Presiding judge Giorgos Sakkas said the men were unlikely to receive a fair trial in Turkey. | Presiding judge Giorgos Sakkas said the men were unlikely to receive a fair trial in Turkey. |
| Turkey's said the decision appeared to be politically motivated. | |
| "We protest this decision which prevents these individuals who have threatened the life of our president and took an active role in a coup attempt that killed 248 of our citizens... from appearing in front of Turkish judiciary," the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement. | |
| "Once again Greece, an ally and a neighbour, has failed to fulfil the basics of the fight against terrorism." | |
| The case has presented a diplomatic dilemma for Greece and created new tensions between the two Nato allies. They have a complex relationship and are currently working together to help negotiate a peace deal in divided Cyprus. | |
| Justice Minister Stavros Kontonis said before the verdict that he would respect the decision and not intervene. | |
| Turkey has demanded the men, whom it calls traitors, be returned to stand trial. The soldiers - three majors, three captains and two sergeant majors - argue their lives would be in danger. | |
| Turkey's post-coup purges convulse society | Turkey's post-coup purges convulse society |
| A tricky dilemma for Greece | A tricky dilemma for Greece |
| The eight soldiers in Greece have said that their relatives in Turkey have lost jobs and had their passports confiscated. | The eight soldiers in Greece have said that their relatives in Turkey have lost jobs and had their passports confiscated. |
| In the wake of the coup attempt, tens of thousands of people from every level of Turkish society have been purged from their jobs, including military officers, government officials and schoolteachers. | In the wake of the coup attempt, tens of thousands of people from every level of Turkish society have been purged from their jobs, including military officers, government officials and schoolteachers. |
| Critics of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan say he has used the failed uprising as a way of removing his opponents and tightening his hold on power. | Critics of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan say he has used the failed uprising as a way of removing his opponents and tightening his hold on power. |
| The Turkish government says that it has taken legitimate action to root out "terrorist" groups that had infiltrated the state. | The Turkish government says that it has taken legitimate action to root out "terrorist" groups that had infiltrated the state. |
| It blamed US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who leads a mass movement in Turkey, for the bloody coup attempt. He denies any involvement. | It blamed US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who leads a mass movement in Turkey, for the bloody coup attempt. He denies any involvement. |
| Soon after the soldiers arrived in Greece, they were given two-month suspended prison sentences for illegally entering the country. | Soon after the soldiers arrived in Greece, they were given two-month suspended prison sentences for illegally entering the country. |
| 'A scandal' - Turkish media respond to the ruling, by Pinar Sevinclidir, BBC Monitoring | |
| Pro-government news outlets have branded the decision "a scandal " and accused Greece of "protecting the coup soldiers". | |
| Yeni Safak daily said Greece was taking the plotters under its wing and Aksam newspaper called the ruling "a historical disgrace" | |
| A Haber TV report hinted at a diplomatic crisis, saying " the relationship between Turkey and Greece will change after this decision". |