Turkey: 11 FETO terror convicts sentenced to life

By Fecri Barlik, Zafer Goder and Eyup Elevli

SIIRT / BOLU / ORDU, Turkey (AA) – A Turkish court handed down life sentences to 11 Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) convicts, including high-ranking former Turkish military officers, a judicial source said Tuesday.

The group were charged over incidents that took place in the southeastern province of Siirt where the governor's office was blockaded during the defeated coup of July 2016, said the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media.

Five got life sentences, while the remainder got aggravated life sentences, the source added.

Meanwhile, a court in Turkey’s northwestern province of Bolu sentenced 79 people to jail terms varying from about two to 10 years on terror-linked charges.

Separately, in the Black Sea province of Ordu, a court sentenced five people to jail terms varying between about a year-and-a-half to over six years.

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.