Coup plot suspects may lose parenthood rights

ISTANBUL

Former Chief of General Staff Başbuğ was sentenced to life in prison.

Ergenekon suspects who received prison sentences could lose their parental rights if the Supreme Court of Appeals approves of the Aug. 5 rulings, according to Doğan News Agency.

Suspects like former Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ, who was sentenced to life in prison, will lose all parental rights if the high court approves the Istanbul court’s rulings, which also included stripping the suspects of a series of rights, including parental and voting rights and the right to work for public offices.

Başbuğ was charged with “attempting to destroy the Turkish government or to attempting to partially or completely prevent its functioning,” according to the indictment.

High-profile figures like journalists Tuncay Özkan and Mustafa Balbay, who also received long prison sentences, will suffer from the same loss of rights during their time in prison.

The Aug. 5 verdict trial, which decided the fate of 275 suspects at the end of the five-year process, resulted in hundreds of years of imprisonment in total and several aggravated life sentences for a series of the country’s high-ranking army members, journalists and academics.