A rubber dinghy filled with 33 Turkish nationals was intercepted off the coast of the Greek island of Oinousses.
The individuals, claiming to authorities to be opposed to the authoritarian ways of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan are requesting political asylum in Greece.
The asylum seekers were transferred to the island of Chios to be processed by Greek authorities.
Local media is reporting that the individuals were all educated Turks, most with affiliations to universities.
Following the so-called coup attempt against the Turkish President the summer of 2016, tens of thousands of civil and public servants, university professors and administrators, police officers and others have been jailed or fired from jobs.
The timing comes a week after Erdogan ruffled feathers in Greece where he met with Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, asking for– amongst other things– a re-evaluation of the Lausanne Treaty.
This isn’t the first time asylum seekers from Turkey have fled the country to Greece.
During the so-called coup attempt in July 2016, three majors, three captains and two sergeant-majors landed a helicopter in Greece and sought asylum, saying they feared for their lives in Turkey.
The Turkish military officials have since been granted protection in Greece while the courts decide their fate.
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2 comments
Typo Greg. The ‘coup’ attempt was July 2016, not 2017.
Corrected and thank you!!