A Turkish court on Wednesday sentenced 15 members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) to life imprisonment over their involvement in the July 2016 defeated coup, according to a judicial source.
The 29th High Penal Court in Istanbul handed down aggravated life sentences to 13 FETO members, while two other members received life terms for their involvement in the deadly confrontation on the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge during the night of the defeated coup, said the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
They were convicted of attempting to violate the constitutional order on the night of the defeated coup.
Three people were martyred and 49 others injured during the confrontation between putschists and the civilians.
In a separate hearing, the 22nd High Penal Court in Istanbul also handed down aggravated life terms to 13 convicts while it ordered life imprisonments for 37 suspects.
The trial was about the coup bid-linked activities at Selimiye Barracks and the attempt to invade the Riot Police center in Uskudar district on the Asian part of Istanbul during the deadly night of July 15, 2016.
They were convicted of attempting to violate the constitutional order.
Another suspect was sentenced to eight years and nine months in imprisonment for being a member of the FETO terrorist organization.
The court also released 77 suspects, including two lieutenant colonels, a lieutenant, four petty officers and 10 expert sergeants.
FETO 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.
