Greece: 2nd Turkish officer to be freed after fleeing coup

ATHENS, Greece – A Greek asylum committee and a magistrate have approved the release from custody of a second serviceman who fled Turkey in a military helicopter to seek asylum in Greece hours after a failed coup attempt in 2016.

Tuesday's decision marks the second release order granted in the past two weeks for members of the group of eight Turkish officers whose applications are being considered on an individual basis.

The issue has further strained Greek-Turkish relations. Ankara has demanded the men's extradition to stand trial for alleged participation in the coup plot against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Greek judges, however, ruled that they would not get a fair trial in Turkey.