TURKEY
Cleaning House
A Turkish court sentenced more than 300 military officers and civilians to multiple life sentences over their involvement in the failed 2016 coup, the BBC reported Thursday.
In one of the biggest trials linked to the coup, nearly 500 defendants were accused of attempting to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and seize key state institutions.
The trial mainly focused on a group of air force pilots and military commanders, who allegedly conducted their plot from the Akinci airbase near the capital, Ankara.
The court also indicted US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Erdogan has accused of masterminding the plot, a charge Gulen denies. The president has demanded his extradition.
More than 250 people died and more than 2,000 were injured when thousands of civilians supporting Erdogan confronted the rogue soldiers.
Following the coup, Erdogan conducted a massive purge of state institutions: More than 100,000 public sector employees, including teachers and judges, have been suspended or fired over alleged links to Gulen’s movement.
Since the coup attempt, numerous trials have been held and judges have issued more than 2,500 life sentences.
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