ATHENS – A Turkish serviceman, the second in a group of eight that took refuge in Greece after the attempted coup d’etat in Turkey in July 2016, will be released after a second-degree asylum review board granted him asylum later on Tuesday.

The eight Turkish servicemen escaped from Turkey in a military helicopted on the night of the attempted coup and landed at Alexandroupolis airport, where they asked for political asylum in Greece.

Guzel Ahmed was granted asylum by the 10th Independent Asylum Committee chaired by a prosecutor on the same premises as his compatriot, the copilot of the helicopter who is living in an undisclosed location under guard and on strict terms. Based on Amnesty International, international treaties and the European Council among other institutions, it was determined that he would not get a fair trial in Turkey. In addition, there is no evidence that he participated in the failed coup; on the contrary, Turkey is requesting his extradition for political crimes.

According to information of the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, the Migration Policy Ministry plans to contest the decision by asking for its cancellation.