FETO coup bid: 47 get heavy life in military academy case

ANKARA

A Turkish court on Wednesday convicted 47 defendants with heavy life terms for the incidents that took place in a military academy during the July 15 defeated coup in Turkey, according to a judicial source.

The Heavy Penal Court No: 24 in the capital Ankara ruled aggravated life imprisonment for 19 convicts while life in prison for 28 others.

Former Brigadier Kerim Acar, then-dean of the military academy, was among those slapped with aggravated life in prison, said the source on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

The court also sentenced 113 convicts to varying terms in prison from 7 years up to 15 years.

A total of 94 defendants were acquitted in the case.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Turkey 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.

Writing by Ali Murat Alhas