8 ex-military personnel get life terms in Ankara

By Zafer Fatih Beyaz and Serdar Acil

ANKARA (AA) - A court in capital Ankara on Thursday handed down life sentences to eight former Turkish military officers for their links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), according to a judicial source.

The 20th Heavy Penal Court convicted the military personnel on charges of attempting to overthrow the constitutional order and Turkish Republic, the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media, said.

Among the eight convicts were former Military Band Cmdr. Halil Birer, Squadron Cmdr. Erhan Dokur, Fatih Saban, Gokay Akar, Hakan Ortancil, Hamza Gocer, Huseyin Yuksel and Mahmut Konuk.

Birer was sentenced to aggravated life sentence while the other convicts were handed down life sentences.

They were all convicted for their activities at the Military Band Schools Command in Ankara during the defeated coup.

The 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.