Nearly 500 suspects on trial over Turkey's failed coup
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 1 August 2017 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Nearly 500 suspects on trial over Turkey's failed coup, 1 August 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a9fb7574.html [accessed 22 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
August 01, 2017 11:04 GMT
Soldiers who are charged with participating in the 2016 attempted coup in Turkey are accompanied by Turkish soldiers as they arrive at the court outside Ankara on August 1.
Almost 500 people accused of involvement in last year's failed coup in Turkey have gone on trial.
The mass trial, which kicked off at a purpose-built courtroom outside Ankara on August 1, is the largest yet relating to last year's failed putsch against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Many of the 486 suspects face life terms in prison for crimes that include murder and attempt to assassinate Erdogan.
The case centers around the Akinci air base, northwest of the capital, which the government says the coup plotters used as their headquarters.
U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom the government accuses of orchestrating the coup, has been named as the main defendant in the case and will be tried in absentia. He rejects the charges and denies any involvement in the coup attempt.
The trial is one of dozens that are under way in Turkey in relation to the failed putsch that resulted in about 250 deaths in July 2016.
Based on reporting by AFP, AP, and dpa
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
