Trial of Hundreds Accused in Failed July 2016 Coup in Turkey Begins

The trial of approximately 500 defendants in the failed coup in Turkey, including army generals and air force pilots, began on Tuesday, August 1, in Ankara. Many of these individuals are accused of leading a coup that started in July 2016 from an airbase in Ankara. According to Reuters, relatives of those killed or injured during the coup threw stones and other objects at the defendants as they entered the court, chanting 'murderers.' The protesters also demanded the death penalty for the accused. The Turkish government declared a state of emergency following the July 15 coup last year and initiated a widespread purge across all government agencies, which faced backlash from Western countries. Reuters reports that 461 imprisoned defendants, handcuffed and accompanied by two officers each, were brought to court. The report indicates that seven defendants are still at large, and 18 others have been charged but are not in custody. The main suspect of the coup is a 76-year-old religious cleric named Fethullah Gülen, residing in the U.S., whose followers are accused of being involved in the coup. Gülen has denied involvement in the Turkish coup, attributing it to the Ankara government itself. Akin Ozturk, the former commander of the air force, and other defendants present at the Akinci airbase in northwest Turkey are accused of leading the coup, bombing government buildings including the parliament, and intending to kill President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Ankara claims that the conspirators used this airbase as their headquarters. Hulusi Akar, the army commander, and other commanders were imprisoned at this base for several hours on the night of the coup. If the defendants in court on Tuesday are found guilty, they could face life imprisonment for crimes such as violating the constitution, attempting to kill the president, trying to overthrow the republic, and seizing military headquarters. Previously, after the failed coup that left 250 dead, some other defendants were tried. It has been reported that 30 coup plotters were also killed. The Turkish government has detained over 50,000 people in the past year on charges of participating in the coup and supporting Gülen, and dismissed 150,000 others from government jobs. Erdoğan's government has stated that these purges are necessary to address Turkey's security challenges and that the roots of Gülen's supporters must be eradicated from the country's governmental structure.