Istanbul: 5 get life terms in admiral hostage case

By Kubra Chohan

ANKARA (AA) - A criminal high court in Istanbul on Friday convicted and sentenced to prison seven people Friday for being members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup.

Five out of the seven convicts were given aggravated life sentences for “violating the constitution” plus 12 years for “deprivation of liberty”.

The suspects had been convicted for holding a real admiral of the Turkish Naval Academy hostage during the July 15 defeated coup.

Separately, a couple in southern Adana province were sentenced to six years and three months in jail for being a member of an armed terrorist organization.

A criminal high court in southern Gaziantep convicted and sentenced to 15 years a woman who was allegedly collecting money for the terrorist organization and organizing meetings for them.

The defeated coup of July 15, 2016, left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also 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.

*Abdulkerim Satuk Bugrahan Topaloglu, Mustafa Hatipoglu, Muhammed Enes Can, Murat Kaya contributed to this report.