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Greek authorities are reportedly revoking residency permits of Turkish nationals affiliated with the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) who sought asylum after the 2016 coup attempt.
Some 44 Turks targeted for revocation in 2025 alone for reasons of "national security and public order," according to a Greek media outlet Kathimerini's investigation.
Greek authorities requested the revocation of asylum status for 44 Turks in 2025 for national security and public order reasons—the largest number in recent years, according to official documents cited by Kathimerini.
In comparison, asylum was revoked for the same reason for only two Turks in 2024 and one in 2023.
In three cases brought to Kathimerini's attention, the Asylum Service is requesting revocation of international protection, citing three secret documents dating from August to October 2025.
All three individuals are wanted by Turkish authorities as members of the FETO terrorist organization and had received international protection in Greece several years ago.
Their requests to be informed of the contents of the classified documents were rejected.
The percentage of asylum requests from Turkish nationals accepted in the first instance has decreased dramatically in recent years, according to data seen by Kathimerini.
In 2023, 12.2% of Turkish asylum requests were accepted. By 2025, that figure had plummeted to just 1.6%.
"The examination of requests for international protection has been tightened, leading to a decrease in asylum approvals, as a result of the close cooperation of the Asylum Service with the security authorities, to avoid cases of abuse of the asylum system by individuals with a criminal profile," said Marios Kaleas, governor of the Greek Asylum Service.
FETO orchestrated the July 15, 2016 coup attempt in Türkiye, which resulted in the deaths of 252 people and left 2,735 wounded.
The group's ringleader, Fetullah Gulen, resided in the United States before his death in October 2024. FETO has clandestinely conducted activities in Türkiye since the 1960s.
Since 2016, FETO has been recognized as a terrorist organization by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Pakistan, among others.
Türkiye has repeatedly called on allies to extradite FETO members and close the organization's affiliated institutions abroad.
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