Turkey: Prison sentence upheld for former court member

By Ismet Karakas

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's Supreme Court on Saturday upheld the prison sentence handed to a former Constitutional Court (AYM) member for being a member of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup.

With the approval of the Supreme Court Criminal General Board, Erdal Tercan will serve 10 years, seven months and 15 days in prison.

According to the court, Tercan joined the group when he was a university lecturer and continued to be its member with a codename – Ertan – while serving at the Constitutional Court.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and 2,734 injured.

Turkey 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.

*Writing by Havva Kara Aydin