Court gives life sentences to 65 ex-soldiers for involvement in Turkey’s coup attempt
ANKARA
An Ankara court on March 6 handed life sentences to 65 former soldiers for their actions at the Turkish Naval Forces Command during the July 2016 coup attempt.
Two rear admirals were among the former servicemen convicted of “violating the constitutional order” by the Ankara 13th Heavy Penal Court, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Some 47 of the suspects received aggravated life sentences for their role in the coup, widely believed to have been orchestrated by the movement of U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen.
Ankara also accuses what it calls the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of state institutions including the military, the police and the judiciary.
