Turkey: 27 Pilots Involved In The Coup Sentenced To Life Imprisonment

Twenty-seven former pilots and other suspects have been sentenced to life in prison for plotting a failed military coup against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused the followers of Muhammad Fethullah Gulen of trying to stage a coup.

Fethullah Gulen lives in a small town in the US state of Pennsylvania, once an ally of Erdogan but is now living in exile in the United States.

The failed coup in 2016 killed at least 251 people and injured more than 2,000, marking a turning point for Erdogan’s power and contemporary Turkish leadership.

The country’s highest court was packed with dozens of security personnel and lawyers, and the head of the trial bench ordered a protester to sit down, according to AFP.

The judge sentenced the air force pilots who bombed the capital, Ankara, and civilians to life in prison, the bombing was part of a coup.

The men were charged with murder, violating the constitution, and attempting to assassinate Erdogan.

During the failed coup attempt, then-Army Chief of Staff General Halusi Aker and other front-line commanders were detained overnight at a military base, after which they were released on the morning of July 16.

F-16s have repeatedly bombed parliament, the road near the presidential palace, military headquarters, and the Ankara police headquarters.

President Tayyip Erdogan was on holiday in southern Turkey at the time of the attack.

The airstrikes killed at least 68 people and injured more than 200, while nine people were killed trying to stop planners from entering the base.

It should be noted that Turkey abolished the death penalty in 2004 in order to join the European Union, but this resulted in the introduction of very severe life sentences, which have been raised by many human rights organizations.

A failed military coup in Turkey

In 2016, a rebel group in the Turkish military announced the overthrow of the government, saying in a statement on the Turkish state broadcaster TRT that martial law and curfews had been imposed in Turkey, while the country was now a “one.” It is being run under the auspices of the Peace Council, which will not allow public order to be affected.

The uprising was thwarted when clashes between rebel forces and civilians killed more than 250 people and injured thousands of civilians and insurgents.

The Turkish government has since launched a nationwide crackdown on coup plotters, with pro-US Turkish politician Fethullah Gulen behind the coup, according to the government, while Fethullah Gulen has denied any involvement in the coup. ۔

Following this historic victory of Turkish democracy, July 15 has been declared a “National Day of Democracy and Unity” by the administration.

The government has arrested or fired more than 100,000 people, including dozens of soldiers, lawyers, teachers, government employees and students, and hundreds of newspapers and other media outlets have been accused of involvement in the uprising.