ATHENS — Greece cannot extradite eight military officers who fled Turkey after a failed coup in July, the country’s Supreme Court ruled on Thursday. The Turkish government had demanded that the officers be handed over, and the decision is almost certain to strain ties between the countries.

The court, Greece’s highest, ruled that the eight officers — two majors, four captains, and two noncommissioned officers — would face “the curtailment of their fundamental human rights’’ if sent back to Turkey, and it called for their immediate release. The decision is irreversible.

The Turkish officers fled to northern Greece in a Turkish army helicopter on July 15, saying they feared for their lives, and their arrival was divisive in Greece and beyond.

Intellectuals, rights activists, and lawyers in Greece lobbied against their extradition, noting the risks of sending asylum seekers back to a country where the rule of law has broken down.

European officials had urged Greece to make sure that the rights of the military officers were respected, all while being mindful of demands by Turkey, a historical rival.

The Turkish government had made clear that it was expecting the return of the officers, whom they have called traitors and “putschists.’’

New York Times