The Greek Asylum Commission on Tuesday approved the petition of a second Turkish military officer suspected of involvement in a controversial coup attempt in Turkey on July 15, 2016, according to a Greek official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
According to a report by Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency, the military officer, who has not been identified by name, could soon be released from detention.
The commission last December approved the petition of another Turkish military officer, Süleyman Özkaynakçı, but the Greek government later raised objections. Özkaynakçı was briefly released after being granted asylum but was again detained in light of the government’s objections.
Ruling on the objection, the Greek Council of State on April 19 ordered his release under strict supervision until the asylum petitions of all eight Turkish military members are ruled upon.
Under Greek law, the maximum detention period is 18 months, which will expire at the end of May for the all the suspects. The eight former Turkish military officers fled to Greece a day after the Turkish coup bid in 2016.
