Turkey: Court upholds life sentences of 19 FETO members

By Kemal Karadag and Aylin Sirikli

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey’s Supreme Court of Appeals on Friday upheld life sentences for 19 Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) members convicted over holding a presidential aide against his will on the night of the defeated 2016 coup.

The convicted FETO terrorists had forcefully held then-Presidential Secretary General Fahri Kasirga on the night of July 15, 2016 as part of their effort to overthrow Turkey's elected government.

The court in Ankara upheld the 141 aggravated life sentences for 14 defendants convicted of attempting to overthrow the constitutional order. The defendants also got 12 years in prison for deprivation of liberty.

The court also upheld the life sentences of five others for the same crimes, plus 10 years each.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader, Fetullah Gulen, is accused of orchestrating the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 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.