Court upholds life sentences of 19 FETÖ members

ANKARA-Anadolu Agency

Turkey’s Supreme Court of Appeals on Nov. 8 upheld life sentences for 19 FETÖ members convicted over holding a presidential aide against his will on the night of the defeated 2016 coup.

The convicted FETÖ terrorists had forcefully held then-Presidential Secretary General Fahri Kasırga on the night of July 15, 2016 as part of their effort to overthrow Turkey's elected government.

The court in Ankara upheld the 141 aggravated life sentences for 14 defendants convicted of attempting to overthrow the constitutional order. The defendants also got 12 years in prison for deprivation of liberty.

The court also upheld the life sentences of five others for the same crimes, plus 10 years each.

FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader, Fetullah Gülen, orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people killed and nearly 2,200 injured.

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