9 FETO terror group members get prison sentences

By Eyup Elevulu

ORDU, Turkey (AA) - Turkish courts on Wednesday sentenced to prison nine members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) -- the group behind the 2016 defeated coup -- according to judicial sources.

A court in the northern province of Ordu sentenced four people to over six years apiece for terrorist group membership, said a source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Additionally, a FETO member in the northwestern Kocaeli province was sentenced to seven years and six months, while another from the central-eastern Malatya province got over two years for armed terrorist group membership, said another source.

Moreover, a court in the northern Kastamonu province sentenced two former teachers to some 9-10 years for the same offense.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

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