Nearly 500 on trial for failed coup

Turkey launched a crackdown and declared a state of emergency

ANKARA - A key trial over last year's coup attempt in Turkey started under heavy security in Ankara on Tuesday, with 486 suspects accused of masterminding the coup facing justice.

The trial of prominent figures involved in the coup attempt that shocked Turkey on July 15 last year, started at an exclusively-built courtroom in the Sincan neighborhood.

Most of the suspects are former military personnel at the Akinci Air Base, which was used as the command center by plotters during the foiled coup.

They are charged with crimes ranging from "violating the Constitution, attempting to assassinate the president, attempting to abolish the government of Turkey, managing an armed terrorist organization, seizing military bases, manslaughter, attempting manslaughter and deprivation of liberty."

The key suspect is Fethullah Gulen, a US-based cleric, who is accused by Ankara of being behind the coup attempt. Former air commander Akin Ozturk, a four-star general, is among the suspects being tried.

When the suspects guarded by gendarmes arrived at the courthouse, relatives of victims of the coup threw ropes toward them, shouting "death to traitors", footage from news channels showed.

Established in 1960 in a distant suburb of Ankara, the Akinci Air Base was closed down after the coup and changed its name to Murted Base Command.

After the coup attempt, Turkey declared a state of emergency that is still in effect and launched a massive crackdown against suspected Gulen followers.

More than 50,000 people have been arrested over suspected links to Gulen, with hundreds of soldiers sacked or incarcerated.

Events at the Akinci base were at the center of the coup attempt, because Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar and several army commanders were taken to the base and held captive by pro-coup soldiers during the coup night.

The base's runways were bombed on the night of the putsch to prevent F-16s used by the coup plotters from taking off. According to the indictment, almost all F-16 pilots at the former Akinci base were members of the Gulen movement, which Turkey claims as a terrorist organization.

Gulen's extradition

Turkey is seeking Gulen's extradition from the United States but the two NATO allies are at loggerheads on his case.

"It is very important for our country to entirely shed light on the events of the coup attempt, this is why we are asking Washington to deliver us this individual," said a source close to the government, regretting that until now very little help has been provided from the US.

In addition to holding generals captive, the suspects are held responsible for bombing key structures like the parliament building, the Special Forces Headquarters at Golbasi district, the TURKSAT satellite center and the Police Headquarters, as well as commanding the air actions of the coup attempt, including the movement of F-16 jets.

A total of 461 suspects are being tried in jail, including 18 in absentia, and seven key figures are still on the run, including Adil Oksuz, known as "Air Force imam", who was allegedly the main liaison to Gulen.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other senior political figures are among the plaintiffs. The president escaped an assassination during the putsch and his palace in Ankara was also bombed by Air Force jets.

The trial is expected to last at least a month.

Xinhua

(China Daily 08/03/2017 page11)