ALEXANDROUPOLI: Eight Turkish military officers who fled to Greece by helicopter after a failed coup were charged on Sunday by a prosecutor with illegal entry and violating Greek airspace, their lawyer said.

The men, who have sought asylum in Greece, arrived by military helicopter on Satu­rday after sending a distress signal to authorities at the airport in the northern city of Alexandroupolis.

They were prosecuted for illegal entry into Greece, their lawyer, Ilia Marinaki said, adding that they will appear in court on Monday. She added that they remai­ned under arrest and had not made contact with their families.

The asylum seekers insist they took no part in the putsch and fled to Greece to save their lives “when policemen started shooting against them”.

Erdogan spoke late on Saturday by phone with the Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and thanked him for his stance during the failed uprising, according to Greek government sources. Tsipras had early Saturday expressed his “support for the democratically elected” Turkish government. According to Athens News Agency, Tsipras told Erdogan that the procedure for the Turkish asylum seekers will be swift but in line with international law.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2016