Turkish Court Sentences 4 Former Soldiers to Life for 2016 Coup Bid
They were jailed as part of a trial of 497 suspects in Ankara looking into the presidential guard's actions during the coup attempt, which included a raid on the state broadcaster, AFP reported.
During the 2016 botched putsch, a faction of the Turkish military declared that it had seized control of the country and the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was no more in charge.
The attempt was, however, suppressed a few hours later.
Ankara has since accused US-based opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen, Erdogan's ally-turned-foe, of having orchestrated the coup. Gulen denies any involvement.
Since the coup attempt, nearly 100,000 people have been held pending trial and some 150,000 civil servants were sacked or suspended. The defense ministry said 20,833 people were expelled from the military.
Ankara’s post-coup mass arrests have drawn criticism from human rights organizations and Turkey’s Western allies.
Rejecting that criticism, the Turkish government defends the crackdown as a necessary response to a national security threat.
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