October 20, 2017•Update: October 20, 2017
By Huseyin Kulaoglu and Ahmet Ozler
ISTANBUL/KARABUK
A total of 27 suspects were convicted Friday over their links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind last year’s defeated coup attempt, according to a judicial source.
The 23rd Criminal Court in the eastern province of Erzurum sentenced 12 suspects, including former soldiers and security staff, to aggravated life sentences, and seven others to life sentences for their role in attempting to take over the Turk Telekom building and Istanbul Governor’s Office.
In another hearing in the Black Sea province of Karabuk, the court sentenced eight former security staff up to seven years in prison.
The court also ordered the release of three suspects, two under judicial control.
FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup attempt of July 15, 2016 which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.
Ankara 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.
