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Interview: Greek lawyer vows to prevent Turkish military officers' extradition

Xinhua, August 19, 2016 Adjust font size:

"We are going to do what is humanly possible and legally feasible to prevent the extradition of the eight innocent Turkish military officers to Turkey," their Greek lawyer Stavroula Tomara told Xinhua after the hearing of the first asylum claim on Friday.

Eight Turkish military officers asked for asylum after landing a Turkish military helicopter in Alexandroupolis in northern Greece following the failed coup attempt in Turkey on July 15.

The first of the eight officers was driven to the Asylum Service early in the morning of Friday, where he testified the reasons why he should be given asylum.

According to Tomara, the procedure of the hearings will finish on Aug. 30, since each case will be examined separately on a daily basis.

The Greek Justice Ministry said in an announcement on Thursday that it received an official extradition request from Turkey seeking the return of the eight Turkish military personnel.

According to the announcement, the Ministry of Justice "proceeds directly with the legality check and the relevant process, and if the conditions exist, it will send the file to the competent Prosecutor's Office."

Tomara could not comment on the official extradition request from Turkey since there was nothing handed over to her yet.

"We are going to examine the indictment as soon as it will be delivered to us," Tomara highlighted to Xinhua.

For Tomara, the safety of the eight Turkish military officers comes first.

"They fear for their lives, as well as of those of their families," she told Xinhua in a telephone interview.

After the military coup, their families hid in different areas of Turkey after they were driven out of the military houses, the Greek lawyer explained.

Tomara told Xinhua that her clients had no involvement in the coup attempt because they were executing orders of their superiors.

In addition, she claimed that she will fight for them either they get asylum in Greece, or in any other country, in order to avoid the extradition to Turkey. Endit