Turkish FETO suspects get prison sentences

By Zafer Fatih Beyaz, Serdar Acil and Mustafa Unal Uysal

ANKARA (AA) - An Ankara court on Monday sentenced a former district governor to seven years six months in jail for his links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization, or FETO -- the group behind last year's defeated coup attempt.

Cihan Kayaalp, Governor of Boztepe district in central Anatolian province of Kirsehir, was arrested in Nov. 2016 for suspected links to FETO and was later dismissed from office for "becoming a threat to national security".

Ankara 17th High Criminal Court issued the prison sentence for Kayaalp, who is charged with "being member of an armed terrorist organization".

Kayaalp rejected all the charges against him, including using ByLock -- an encrypted smartphone messaging app used by FETO members before and during last year's defeated coup attempt.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen organized the July 15 defeated coup attempt, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 others wounded.

The group is accused of a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.

The Ankara court also sentenced former gendarme commander Bulent Bulut to 10 years in prison for "being member of a terrorist organization".

Bulut denied all the charges on him including his role in the deadly defeated coup attempt.

- Governor, rector get prison sentences

Also on Monday, the former governor of southwestern Isparta province Memduh Oguz and ex-rector of Suleyman Demirel University Professor Hasan Ibicioglu received prison sentences.

The Isparta 2nd High Criminal Court sentenced Oguz to eight years in prison and Ibicioglu to over 27 years.

Both were accused of having links to FETO.

The court also sentenced an alleged regional FETO representative in Isparta, Osman Demirhan, to over 92 years in prison for "leading a terrorist organization".