Turkey: 8 ex-military officers sentenced to life

By Sezgin Pancar

MERSIN, Turkey (AA) – A court in southern Turkey on Friday handed down aggravated life sentences to eight former Turkish military officers, over their links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the July 2016 defeated coup, according to a judicial source.

Mersin’s 7th Heavy Penal Court convicted the officers of attempting to violate the constitutional order on the night of the defeated coup, said the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Among the convicts were Cdre. Nejat Atilla Demirhan, then-commander of Mediterranean region, and Col. Tayfun Ergi.

The court also gave 13 FETO convicts jail terms ranging from seven-and-a-half-years to 15 years.

The convicts -- including former police personnel -- were charged for aiding the coup attempt and being members of an armed terror group.

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 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.