Turkish court rejects fourth appeal for release of Greek soldiers

A court in the northwestern Turkish province of Edirne on Tuesday rejected for the fourth time an appeal to release from pre-trial detention two Greek servicemen who have been imprisoned in the country since early March, after they accidentally crossed into the neighbouring country, Greek TV broadcaster Skai reported.

The new appeal had been based on the recent assignment of the two soldiers to Ankara by the Greek authorities, in an effort to invalidate the argument used by Turkish judges in the three previous hearings, who said the two men do not have a permanent residence in the country and therefore are considered a flight risk.

The Greek government passed a legislative amendment in Parliament recently, hoping to overcome this obstacle.

The two men are being held in a high-security prison in Edirne. They were arrested by Turkish authorities after they strayed into the country’s territory during a border patrol on March 3.

No official charges have been filed against them and no date has been set for their trial.