A court in western Turkey's Edirne denied yesterday the release of two Greek soldiers pending trial on charges of military espionage and trespassing into a forbidden military zone.
Greek lieutenant Aggelos Mitretodis and noncommissioned officer Dimitros Kouklatzis were detained after being discovered by patrolling Turkish troops near Pazarkule on March 2.
The soldiers claim that they got "lost" while following "suspicious footsteps on the snow" in the border area and crossed into the Turkish side by mistake.
Yesterday's court session was to review the earlier arrest order of the court. Their lawyer argued that the soldiers had freely provided passwords for their personal cellphones, and the local Greek consulate had submitted a written letter guaranteeing that both officers could reside in the city during the trial.
The Edirne court denied their release, arguing that both posed a flight risk and law enforcement officers were yet to compile and analyze all the evidence.
Investigators are still analyzing the contents of the USB drive as well as two personal phones and a military-issue encrypted phone the two men had in their possession.
Mitredotis had earlier denied all the charges brought against them. He said the video on the phone was shot on the Greek side.
A judicial source told Anadolu Agency there is a concrete evidence showing that the crime has been committed by the suspects, and the envisaged punishment for the act is 5 years imprisonment.
The arrests have further strained relations between the two NATO allies who have longstanding disputes over maritime boundaries and commercial rights.
Greece has asked for assistance from the European Union, NATO and the United Nations for their release.
