Turkey: Ex-supreme court member given 13+ years in jail

ANKARA

Turkey’s Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a sentence of over 14 years for one of its former members due to his links to Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the defeated coup in 2016.

Muharrem Karayol, a former head of the penal chamber of Turkey’s Supreme Court, was tried by the top court in the capital Ankara.

He was accused of being a member of the armed terrorist organization, FETO, and received 13 years and 15 months in prison.

According to Turkish law, if a defendant is found guilty of terrorism, their sentence increases by 50% and is implemented separately in years and months, as convicts are often exempt from serving months.

Had he not been convicted of terrorism, Karayol would have received nine years and six months.

The court did not reduce the penalty as the defendant, who did not show remorse during the trial.

*Writing by Fahri Aksut