Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Turkish Court Sentences Dozens to Life Imprisonment for 2016 Coup Attempt

VOA News

   Turkey's state media on Wednesday reported that a Turkish court
   sentenced dozens of people, including former soldiers attached to the
   presidential guard, to life in prison for their involvement in the 2016
   failed coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's
   government.

   The Turkish state news service Anadolu, citing judicial sources,
   reported 32 life sentences, including six who received terms of
   "aggravated life imprisonment," meaning they must serve without the
   possibility of parole for at least 30 years.

   A total of 497 defendants had been on trial since 2017 for attempting
   to seize the military headquarters in Ankara, occupying the
   headquarters of the state broadcaster TRT, and for forcing a television
   broadcaster to read out a statement on behalf of the coup-plotters.

   The massive trial was one of hundreds of trials against suspected
   members of a network led by U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom
   Ankara accuses of orchestrating the failed attempt. Gulen, a former
   Erdogan ally, denies the accusation.

   The sentences stem from the attempted coup of July 2016, in which
   factions within the Turkish military used tanks, warplanes and
   helicopters in an effort to overthrow Erdogan.

   Fighter jets bombed parliament and other spots in Turkey's capital.
   Heeding a call by the president, thousands took to the streets to stop
   the coup.

   A total of 251 people were killed and about 2,200 others were wounded.
   Roughly 35 alleged coup plotters also were killed.

   The government has designated Gulen's network as a terrorist group, a
   claim he denies. He lives in the northeastern U.S. state of
   Pennsylvania.