Turkey: 4 FETO members jailed in defunct daily case

By Muhammed Enes Can, Murat Kaya and Basak Akbulut Yazar

ISTANBUL

An Istanbul court on Friday sentenced four former columnists from shuttered daily Zaman linked to Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) -- the group behind the 2016 defeated coup, a judicial official said.

The 13th Heavy Penal Court in Istanbul gave jail terms of eight years and nine months each to Ali Bulac and Sahin Alpay for being a member of an armed terrorist group, said the official, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

The other two columnists, Mumtazer Turkone and Mustafa Unal, were given 10 years and six months in jail for the same charge.

The court also ruled the release of Ahmet Turan Alkan, who had been in jail pending trial.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 2016 in Turkey which left 251 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.

Reporting by Muhammed Enes Can, Murat Kaya and Basak Akbulut Yazar:Writing by Sena Guler