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Turkish judge seeks political asylum in Greece: media

Xinhua, August 30, 2016 Adjust font size:

A 50-year-old Turkish judge requested political asylum in Greece after illegally reaching Chios island, claiming persecution by the Turkish government, Greek national news agency AMNA reported on Tuesday.

The man landed on Greece's shores in a plastic dinghy with another six refugees from Syria, according to local Coast Guard sources.

He immediately declared his identity to the Coast Guard officers and said he had boarded the boat on the Turkish shore south of Cesme, according to AMNA.

He is also said to have presented personal documents certifying his capacity as a judge and requested political asylum, saying that he was being persecuted for his ideas in Turkey.

The 50-year-old was arrested for illegal entry into Greece and will soon be transferred to Athens so that his asylum request can be examined.

An official announcement on the case is expected to be issued in the next few hours.

Eight Turkish military officers, who landed in a Turkish helicopter the northern city of Alexandroupolis on July 16, a day after the failed coup attempt in Turkey, are also held in Athens as their asylum requests are assessed. Enditem