Turkish officers guilty of plotting coup d’etat

There were mixed reactions in Turkey when three former military officers were convicted on Friday for plotting a coup d’etat.

The “sledgehammer” trial relates to a 2003 military seminar at which it is said a plot was launched to overthrow the government.

The first to be sentenced were; former Army commander General Çetin Doğan the alleged mastermind of plot, former naval forces commander Özden Örnek and former airforce commander Ibrahim Firtina, all received 20-year-sentences.

Of the 365 defendants 34 officers have been acquitted.

The convictions against the former commanders for their attempted military coup, are being regarded as a big step forwards in Turkey’s move towards democracy. But some think the verdicts are political, claiming that the defendants right to defence has been violated. For today the trial has finished but the debate goes on.

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