Judges react to Erdogan comment over Turkish officers’ non-extradition
The Association of Judges and Prosecutors of Greece on Friday issued a statement in response to suggestions by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras should have intervened to ensure the extradition of eight military officers accused by Turkey of being part of a botched coup there last year.
“After detention there is a period during which the government could have easily extradited those individuals to us,” Erdogan had said in an interview with Kathimerini ahead of his visit to Greece on Thursday. “That’s what should be done with terrorists when they are detained in Greece; they should be extradited to Turkey.”
“If you leave it to the judiciary, no outcome can ever be reached and you won't be able to reach any results,” the Turkish president added.
Responding to these comments, the union noted: “In the Hellenic Republic, the judiciary is independent of the other two Constitutional branches and the decision of judges are respected by all. As such, interventions, wherever they may come from, will not be tolerated.”
