A former Turkish army chief has gone on trial in Ankara along with more than 100 other suspects for allegedly plotting to overthrow the Turkish government 16 years ago. The hearing on 2 September began with the identification of the suspects and continued with the reading of the 1,300-page indictment in the afternoon. Among the 103 suspects, there were several former generals: Cevik Bir, Cetin Dogan, Erdal Ceylanoglu, Engin Alan and Kemal Guruz, a former head of the Higher Education Board. Ismail Hakki Karadayi, a former chief of general staff of the Turkish army, did not attend the trial due to health problems. Karadayi and the other defendants face life in prison, if convicted of charges of overthrowing the Turkish government by force for pressuring former Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan to resign.
FORMER GENERALS ON TRIAL IN TURKEY
A former Turkish army chief has gone on trial in Ankara along with more than 100 other suspects for allegedly plotting to overthrow the Turkish government 16 years ago. The hearing on 2 September began with the identification of the suspects and continued with the reading of the 1,300-page indictment in the afternoon.
