Trial of coup leaders resumes in Turkey

ANKARA: A mass trial resumed in Turkey on Monday of more than 220 suspects, including former generals, accused of being among the ringleaders of last year’s coup bid to unseat President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The suspects face life sentences if convicted of charges ranging from using violence to try to overthrow the government and parliament, to killing nearly 250 people. Turkey blames the July 2016 coup attempt on Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, a claim he strongly denies.

Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in the United States, is among several of the 221 suspects named in the indictment who are on the run. The rest are due to appear in court in Sincan near the capital Ankara at a facility that was purpose-built to hear coup-related trials.

The attempted coup on July 15, 2016, left 249 people dead, not counting 24 plotters. Also among the suspects in one of Turkey’s highest-profile prosecutions are several high-ranking military officers including ex-air force commander Akin Ozturk.

Several are accused of leading the so-called "Peace At Home Council", the name the plotters are said to have given themselves the night of the failed overthrow. The judge told the court nearly 70 terabytes worth of images from security cameras at the military headquarters during the coup bid would be given to lawyers, state-run news agency Anadolu said.