Number of Turks Seeking Refuge in Greece Hits Almost Six Thousand

A total of 5 thousand 786 Turkish citizens have applied for obtaining refugee status in Greece, since 2016’s failed coup attempt that was followed by a government crackdown, Turkish media reported on Sunday.

According to a report by Diken attributed to the Greek Ministry of Immigration Policies, the number of Turks seeking refuge in the country has been on the rise in October.

The figures indicated that 706 individuals from Turkey requested refugee status from Greece in October, while the number was recorded as 3 thousand 807 between January and October.

In 2017, 1 thousand 826 Turkish citizens applied for asylum, the report added.

Prior to Turkey’s military coup attempt that prompted a nation-wide crackdown on the dissident, the figures were as follows:

17 in 2013, 41 in 2014, 42 in 2015 and 189 in 2016, the last being the period leading up to the coup attempt.

Other figures shared by the Greek government showed that the total number of Turks applying to take refuge between 2013 and October 2018 is 5 thousand 922, while the number for the same period is 59 thousand 684 for Syrians, 24 thousand 72 Pakistanis, 24 thousand 782 Afghans, 21 thousand 890 Iraqis, 8 thousand 605 Albanians, 5 thousand 478 Bangladeshis, 4 thousand 417 Iranians, 4 thousand 31 Georgians, 3 thousand 386 Palestinians, 29 thousand 508 individuals from other nations.

The Turkish government launched a crackdown after the failed coup that led to the dismissal of nearly 140,000 civil servants and investigations into some 400,000 citizens on “terrorism” charges.

The government accuses the Gulen movement of orchestrating the failed putsch, designating it as a “terrorist organization”, although the movement strongly denies any involvement.

Escaping Erdogan’s Persecution, Turkish Refugees Take Shelter in Greece