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More than 250 people died on July 15 of that year when a group of soldiers using fighter jets, helicopters and tanks tried to seize power from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The coup attempt was based on an air base on the outskirts of the capital Ankara, where the perpetrators simultaneously held General Hulusi Akar, who is now Defense Minister, and other high-ranking military hostages.
A total of 475 people have been prosecuted during the current trial, which is the most notable of several court trials against thousands of suspects.
Among those sentenced to life imprisonment are many former fighter pilots and military commanders. But even four civilians with ties to the preacher Fethullah Gülen, as Ankara claims, were behind the failed coup. Gülen, who lives in exile in the United States, has denied the accusations.
Some of the defendants received many life sentences as punishment, without the right to clemency.
Following the coup attempt, the Turkish authorities have arrested almost 300,000 people accused of having links to Gülen. Furthermore, around 150,000 public employees have been fired for the same reasons.
Several foreign governments and international organizations have harshly criticized Turkey’s handling of the aftermath of the coup attempt.
July 15, 2016 will probably go down in the history books as one of the most crucial days in Turkey in modern times. That night, parts of the army and air force began trying to overthrow the government. The coup was crushed in one day, but it has had enormous effects on society. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has strengthened his power, hundreds of thousands of people have been detained and tens of thousands have been fired.
More than 250 people died during the coup attempt and many more were injured. Many were civilians caught in the crossfire between insurgents and loyalist security forces.
The Turkish government immediately declared that the preacher Fethullah Gülen and his network of military men, journalists, lawyers, teachers and academics were behind the coup attempt. A state of emergency was declared and Erdogan initiated extensive purges of his opponents, apparently not just those who had something to do with the coup attempt.
It is not yet clear how exactly the coup was planned and who was behind it. Gülen denies any involvement.
Source: Landguiden
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