Greece’s Supreme Court rejected the extradition of 8 Turkish officers. The court ruled after a request by Turkey that claimed they were involved in the failed coup of July 2016.
In six cases the judges decided unanimously, in two according to majority. Two votes were apparently in favor of the extradition.
The Court ruling is final and cannot be reversed even by decision of the Minister of Justice.
The Court ordered the release of the eight officers. However, they will remain in the police station of the Olympic village in Athens as their asylum requests are pending.
Their asylum requests is to be examined in the next weeks most likely taking into consideration the new circumstances.
The asylum service had rejected asylum for seven of them.
Last July, a Greek court had sentenced them to two-months suspended prison terms for illegally entering the country.
The Supreme Court said that they 8 officers would not receive a fair trial in Turkey and that protection of human rights had priority.
Ankara had requested life sentence for the officers.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim have repeatedly said to reintroduce the death penalty for the coup plotters.
The issue has become diplomatically significant between the two countries.
