Heavy penalties sought for 14 FETO-linked army officers

By Muhammed Enes Can and Murat Kaya

ISTANBUL

Istanbul prosecutors on Thursday demanded aggravated life imprisonment for 14 senior army officials for their alleged links with the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, a judicial source said.

The indictment sought aggravated life sentences for 24 suspects including Fetullah Gulen, the head of FETO, and former senior army officials, nine of whom are currently at large, said the source who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media.

Among the suspects were Brigadier Generals Fethi Alpay, Eyyup Gurler, Ozkan Aydogdu, Yuksel Durak, Staff Colonels Ahmet Gumuş, Mehmet Kapan, Muzaffer Duzenli, Muslum Kaya, Nebi Gazneli, Omer Faruk Ozkose, Sadik Cebeci, Liutenant Colonels Sakir Cinar, Fatih Karakaya and Major Murat Yanik.

They were all charged with attempting to overthrow the constitutional order by force.

Separately, the prosecutors demanded 88 times aggravated life sentences each for Alpay, Gurler, Aydogdu, Duzenli and Yanik; 44 times aggravated life sentences for Kapan, three times aggravated life sentences each for Kaya and Gazneli; and 14 times aggravated life sentences for Cebeci on charges of premeditated murder and murdering children.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 that martyred 250 people and injured nearly 2,200 others.

Ankara 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.

By Muhammed Enes Can and Murat Kaya

ISTANBUL

They were all charged with attempting to overthrow the constitutional order by force.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 that martyred 250 people and injured nearly 2,200 others.

Ankara 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.