A total of 3,189 Turkish nationals have arrived in Greece and applied for asylum in the last two years, according to the Demirören news agency, citing Greek Immigration Ministry data.
The figure, which surged after a coup attempt in Turkey on July 15, 2016, was around 100 in the three-year period prior to the abortive putsch.
In July alone, 687 Turks applied for asylum in Greece, while more Turks were trying to reach western Europe for an asylum application.
The Turkish government started a crackdown after the controversial coup attempt that led to the dismissal of nearly 140,000 civil servants and investigations into some 400,000 citizens on “terrorism” charges.
The government accuses the Gülen movement of orchestrating the failed putsch, although the movement strongly denies any involvement.
Turkish courts also launched large-scale investigations into the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and issued detention warrants for thousands of people, including parliamentary deputies, on charges of membership in a terrorist organization or propagandizing for one.
In the last two years, 550 people have been detained and more than 7,000 passports have been confiscated by security at İstanbul Atatürk Airport over Gülen links. (turkishminute.com)
