UPDATE - 28 FETO convicts jailed for life in Turkish capital

ADDS CHARGE FOR 13 CONVICTS

By Tanju Ozkaya

ANKARA (AA) - A criminal high court in capital Ankara convicted 28 people for their links with the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and sentenced them to life imprisonment on Thursday, according to a judicial source on Thursday.

The convicts were said to be involved in a bid to take over the Turk Telekom building during 2016 defeated coup.

Thirteen of the convicts were handed down aggravated life sentences each for “an attempt to destroy the constitutional order”, the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said.

The court also gave life imprisonment to 15 others, the source added.

They were also given a total of 1,519-year jail term for “deprivation of people's freedom”, the source, speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to media, said.

According to the Turkish government, the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (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.