Greek lawyers want monitoring mission for soldiers in Turkey
The presidents of Greece’s bar associations plan to ask the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) to send observers to Turkey to monitor the situation regarding the two Greek soldiers that have been held in the border town of Edirne without charge since March.
In an announcement, the lawyers said that Turkey is using the issue for political reasons and flouting due process.
The announcement came after the head of Turkey’s delegation to NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly, Ahmet Berat Conkar, sent a letter to European Parliament President Antonio Tajani tacitly linking the fate of two Greek soldiers to that of eight Turkish officers who fled to Greece in the wake of the 2016 botched coup.
The Greek lawyers said the letter confirms their belief that the Turkish justice system “does not operate independently and cannot guarantee of a fair trial.”
The letter of complaint came after all eight of the Turkish officers who are wanted by Ankara for their alleged role in the attempted overthrow were granted release from pretrial detention in Greece and placed in protective custody pending decisions on their applications for political asylum.
