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The defendants were taken to a parade at the start of the trial in 2017
A Turkish court sentenced 337 military officers and others to life in prison in one of the largest trials related to the 2016 coup attempt.
Air force pilots and army commanders were among nearly 500 people accused of trying to oust President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
They allegedly directed the plot from Akinci Air Force Base near Ankara.
Erdogan says the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen masterminded the plot that led to the mass arrests.
Gulen denied any involvement in the coup attempt, which took place in July 2016, which killed 251 people and injured more than 2,000 others. Erdoan was on vacation at that time in a resort.
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Erdogan’s supporters helped thwart the coup
Thousands of civilians rallied to support Erdogan in a night of unrest, confronting rogue soldiers and preventing the conspirators from seizing power.
The trial began in August 2017, and the charges included seeking to kill President Erdogan and seizing key state institutions. The largest court in Turkey, located at Senkan near Ankara, was crowded with those who wanted to attend the verdicts.
The officers who had conspired against Erdogan seized a plane at Akinci base, and took the then chief of staff, General Hulusi Akar, and some other officers hostage.
The former air force commander, Akin Ozturk, was sentenced to life in prison last year for his role in the plot.
The indictment states that 25 F-16 pilots bombed targets in Ankara, including Parliament, which was hit three times, in addition to key security buildings. The bombing killed 68 people in Ankara and injured more than 200.
There were 25 generals and 10 civilians in the dock.
More than 10 army officers, including F-16 fighter pilots and four civilians, were sentenced to 79 life “aggravating” sentences each. The “aggravating” sentences include more severe prison sentences than regular life imprisonment.
Six people were tried in absentia, among them Gulen and Adel Oksuz, a lecturer in theology accused of being the main coordinator of the coup plot.
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The authorities took strict security measures in preparation for the trial
Businessman Kamal Batmaz, who was among those who received “heavy” life sentences, was accused of aiding Adel Oksuz.
Erdogan classified the “Hizmet” movement led by Gulen as a “terrorist” organization. Gulen was once an ally of the president, but since the coup attempt, the 79-year-old cleric has been on the run in Pennsylvania, and Turkey is seeking his extradition.
Erdogan carried out a large-scale purge of state institutions after the conspiracy, as he sacked or arrested more than 100,000 public sector employees, including teachers and judges accused of links with Gulen.
There were a number of trials for alleged masterminds, and courts passed more than 2,500 life sentences.
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https://www.bbc.com/arabic/middleeast-55087359
