Press in Athens on Wednesday claimed that a relevant judicial committee has ruled against an asylum request by three out of eight Turkish military officers that fled the neighboring country aboard an army helicopter last July.

The eight officers and NCOs requested political asylum in Greece, claiming they face persecution if they are returned to Turkey. They landed at the Alexandroupolis airport in the hours after the coup attempt.
 

According to unconfirmed reports, the committee members reportedly discerned "signs of involvement" by one of the three in the July 2016 putsch attempt in Turkey, whereas the other two were judged to not have cooperated fully with the committee.

Nevertheless, the trio has the right to appeal whatever negative ruling at the appellate level, and then to Greece’s supreme court. Extraditions of third country nationals by the Greek state on charges linked to political activity are extremely rare.

A decision on the other five Turkish nationals is reportedly pending.