Turkey: FETO-linked ex-officers get heavy life terms

By Muhammed Enes Can

ISTANBUL (AA) - Three former Turkish military officers were given aggravated life sentences on Wednesday over links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the July 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, according to a judiciary source.

Istanbul’s 27th Heavy Penal Court convicted Erdal Seker, Mehmet Akif Aslan and Suleyman Ahmet Kaya of violating the constitutional order the night of the coup bid during a raid on the Dogan Media Center in which Vedat Barcegci was martyred, said the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Kaya was given another aggravated life sentence -- two in total -- as he was also convicted of the murder of Barcegci.

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.