Turkey: 26 ex-soldiers get life sentences over coup bid

By Filiz Kinik, Ali Cevahir Akturk and Adsiz Gunebakan

ISTANBUL

A total of 26 former soldiers, including generals were sentenced to aggravated life sentences Tuesday for their involvement in the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, according to judicial sources.

Istanbul's 14th High Criminal Court convicted 12 former military personnel on charges of violating the constitution, the source, who asked not be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media, said.

Separately, southeastern Gaziantep’s 10th Heavy Penal Court sentenced 14 former soldiers to aggravated life terms after convicting them for violating the constitutional order during incidents at a special forces operation base in the province’s Silopi district.

The Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup on July 15, 2016, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.

By Filiz Kinik, Ali Cevahir Akturk and Adsiz Gunebakan

ISTANBUL

A total of 26 former soldiers, including generals were sentenced to aggravated life sentences Tuesday for their involvement in the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, according to judicial sources.

The Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup on July 15, 2016, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.