Turkey: 22 FETO-linked ex-officers get jail terms

By Mustafa Hatiopglu and Melike Gallenkus

ISTANBUL (AA) - A total of 22 former Turkish military officers were given jail terms on Tuesday over their links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the July 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, according to a judicial source.

Istanbul’s 23rd Heavy Penal Court gave aggravated life sentences to five former officers, while 17 others were jailed for life.

The former military officers were convicted of attempting to abolish the constitutional order, said the source who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Eleven people were injured during the night of July 15, 2016, when pro-coup soldiers tried to take control of Istanbul's Kartal Bridge and Samandira toll booth, the indictment against the former officers read.

The Fetullah Terrorist Organization 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.