Turkey asks Greece to extradite people accused of Gülen movement links

Turkey is asking Greece to return people it accuses of links to the Gülen movement.

Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi raised the issue at a meeting in Athens on October 8 with Greek ministers.

He also called for faster proceedings for 60 people he said were in Greek custody, including some allegedly wanted on criminal charges.

Greek officials deny that an organized branch of the movement operates in Greece and say Turkish people seeking protection should not be treated as a criminal group.

Extradition requests must be reviewed by prosecutors and courts, and a person may appeal to Greece’s Supreme Court; a ministerial meeting alone cannot order a return.

A Greek source said no recent formal request had been identified for someone prosecuted over Gülen links or other political grounds, while requests received concerned ordinary criminal accusations.

The issue has strained relations before, and any current extradition decision would have to follow Greece’s judicial process.