Trial begins of Turkey coup suspects

ISTANBUL: Almost 30 Turkish police went on trial in Istanbul on Tuesday charged with involvement in the July 15 coup, the city’s first trial of alleged putschists in the massive crackdown that followed the failed bid to oust President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. With some 41,000 coup suspects under arrest in a state of emergency, the nationwide trials of the accused are set to be the most far-reaching legal process in Turkish history.

Five months after the coup, small-scale trials of suspects have already begun in the provinces and on Monday 60 people went on trial in the southwestern city of Denizli. But the trial in Istanbul — taking place in a gigantic courthouse outside the Silivri prison in Istanbul — is the most significant to date and the first in the Turkish metropolis.

The accused are charged with seeking to overthrow the government as well as allegedly being members of the group led by US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen who the authorities accuse of leading the plot.

Gulen, who Ankara wants to see extradited from the United States, vehemently denies the charges.

The trial got under way with the reading out of the names of the accused and judge Fikret Demir reading the indictment, the state-run Anadolu news agency said. This was expected to be followed by arguments for the defence. Hearings are expected to last until Friday. Amid tight security, special forces in camouflage gear stood guard outside the courthouse. — AFP