Newsroom
The arrest of the two Greek soldiers who inadvertently strayed into Turkish territory during a regular border patrol last month was "pre-planned," Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos said on Monday during a briefing of journalists in parliament.
He said Turkish authorities have not found any incriminating evidence against the soldiers – a lieutenant and a sergeant – and therefore they cannot be charged with any serious offenses, but asked about the worst-case scenario, he cited the "Midnight Express," the 1978 movie which showed scenes of appalling treatment of prisoners from their guards.
Considering the current state of the Turkish justice system and the politics pursued by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the servicemen could languish in detention for up to 15 years, he said.
"In a country where there are no courts and where Justice operates on the Sultan's orders, it [their detention] could last up to 15 years," he told journalists.
He didn't rule out the possibility of an "incident" in the Aegean but said Greece will not "play the game of tension" Turkey is trying to stoke.
