Failed coup attempt generals appear before court for first time

The Ankara 17th High Criminal Court has begun a high-profile case against a total of 221 suspects, including former high-ranking generals who have been accused of perpetrating a bloody July 2016 coup attempt against a backdrop of pro-government protests.

Some 38 former four-star generals that made up the "Peace in the Homeland Council," the leading body of the foiled coup, were brought to the specifically built Sincan Prison Campus Complex, on the outskirts of Ankara, amid heavy security measures. 

Prosecutors have demanded 2,988 life sentences for each of the suspects, the highest ever sentence sought for suspects in Turkish history, for "attempting to abolish the Turkish Parliament by using force and violence," "attempting to abolish the Turkish government by using force and violence," "managing an armed organization," "attempting to assassinate the president," "killing 250 citizens," "injuring 2,735 citizens," and "restricting the liberty of state officials."

Fethullah Gülen, who is regarded as the head of Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), is the main suspect in the case, while 38 soldiers, including former top soldiers Akın Öztürk, Semih Terzi and Mehmet Dişli were cited as constituting the Peace in the Nation Council.

Adil Öksüz, a fugitive academic, was also listed among the suspects in the indictment.

Although there are a number of other prosecutor's indictments against Öksüz, who was regarded as the Gülen movement's top figure in the Turkish Air Force, as one of the key suspects in the coup attempt, the Ankara Prosecutor's Office's investigation named the fugitive Öksüz as the council's top name for the trial in question.

The name of the Peace in the Homeland Council was first heard on the night...