A lawsuit has been filed against the Greek state for the arrest and detention of one Turkish military officer who was one of eight Turkish servicemen seeking asylum in Greece, after a failed coup attempt in Turkey against President Erdogan.
The lawsuit, filed by The Greek Council for Refugees, alleges that the arrest of helicopter co-pilot Suleyman Ozkaynakci, is “illegal” because he was recently granted asylum by an independent asylum committee.
Last week a court suspended asylum for the pilot, the judge citing “offering him a haven would endanger relations with Ankara,” The Times reported. The court accepted the government’s request to temporarily suspend the officer’s asylum citing reasons of “public interest.”
The Times reports that Mr Ozkaynakci denied any role in the failed coup and the he “carried out orders, collecting injured personnel as a member of a medical crew based in Istanbul.”
The Council argues that according to article 46, par. 1 of law 4375/2016, an asylum seeker, and especially one to whom asylum has been granted and is not in administrative detention, cannot be detained, unless he has committed other crimes.