ANKARA (Sputnik) – In early May, Berlin granted political asylum to dozens of Turkish servicemen who sought refugee status for fear of prosecution in Turkey during the government's post-coup crackdown. In early April, media reported, citing the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), that 262 Turkish military and diplomatic personnel had requested asylum in Germany.
Ankara accused Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who has been living in the US state of Pennsylvania since 1999, and his followers, of playing a key role in the military coup that took place in Turkey on July 15. Gulen has refuted the allegations against him. The German Interior Ministry has said that the Turkish side has sent over 6,000 requests for Gulen supporters' extradition over the past several years, none of which have been granted.