Prosecutor seeks three aggravated life sentences for 15 suspects including former Istanbul governor

ISTANBUL

An Istanbul prosecutor sought three aggravated life imprisonments for 15 suspects including former Istanbul Governor Hüseyin Avni Mutlu and former Istanbul Police Chief Hüseyin Çapkın on June 8 over their suspected links to the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), Doğan News Agency has reported. 

The indictment submitted to court also demanded that an arrest warrant be issued for Çapkın and former Denizli Governor Abdülkadir Demir. The remaining 13 suspects are already jailed. 

The 309-page indictment, prepared by the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Emine Koçak, filed charges against the suspects over “violation of the constitution,” “attempt to destroy the Turkish Republic and the Turkish parliament by using physical violence” and “membership to a terrorist organization.” 

Additionally, the indictment also filed charges against eight suspects including Mutlu within the context of law number 6415 on the “Prevention of Terrorism Finance,” seeking from 7.5 to 15 years of imprisonment. 

The indictment, which has been sent to the Istanbul 30th Heavy Penal Court, stated that Istanbul’s Bağcılar district Governor Fatih Şahin, former Rize Governor Nurullah Çakır and former Şanlıurfa Governor Yusuf Yavaşcan have used Bylock, an encrypted smartphone messaging application said to have been used by members of FETÖ.