A first instance court in the European Turkey border city of Edirne on Tuesday again rejected a motion to free two Greek servicemen from pre-trial detention, according to press reports. The motion was the fourth submitted by attorneys for the pair.
The two Greek servicemen, a lieutenant and a NCO, allegedly strayed a few meters into Turkish territory along a poorly demarcated point on the Greek-Turkish frontier – in the Thrace region – on March 1. The pair has been held in an Edirne jail without official charges being filed or even a court date being set.
Previous instances of military personnel from either country inadvertently straying into the other’s territory along the land border separating the two NATO member-states were resolved in a matter of hours and between local commanders.
Widespread speculation holds that the Turkish side is holding the two men as “bargaining chips” in order to pressure Athens to ignore high court rulings and return eight Turkish officers and NCOs that fled the neighboring country in the wake of a July 2016 coup, and sought political asylum in Greece.
