Instant Alert: Turkey sentences 2 former military officers to life in prison in the first failed coup convictions

MANAGE SUBSCRIPTIONS   |   UNSUBSCRIBE   |   VIEW ONLINE   Turkey sentences 2 former military officers to life in prison in the first failed coup convictions by on Jan 5, 2017, 8:41 AM Advertisement ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A court in eastern Turkey has sentenced two former military officers to life terms in prison, in the first convictions over the failed military coup in July. The state-run Anadolu Agency said that the court in Erzurum on Thursday convicted ex-Col. Murat Kocak and ex-Maj. Murat Yilmaz of attempting to abolish Turkey's "constitutional order." The two were on duty at Erzurum's gendarmerie command at the time of the botched July 15 coup, which the government says was orchestrated by a network of followers of U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen. The cleric denies involvement. The two defendants have rejected the accusation. Turkey declared a state of emergency after the coup attempt and engaged in an unprecedented crackdown on Gulen's movement, arresting 41,000 people and purging more than 100,000 from government jobs.   Share the latest business news with your network:    Email sent to:   |   Manage your email preferences   |   Unsubscribe Terms of Service   |   Privacy Policy Business Insider. 150 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011