Ankara court sentences convicts to aggravated life sentences for murdering officer Omer Halisdemir during defeated coup
The 14th High Criminal Court in the capital Ankara handed down aggravated life sentences to 18 Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) convicts for their roles in the murder of a Turkish officer during the 2016 defeated coup attempt in Turkey, according to a judicial source said on Thursday.
Omer Halisdemir -- who was martyred during the coup attempt night after he shot dead a senior coup plotter -- became the symbol of the Turkish nation's resistance against the defeated coup bid.
Halisdemir shot pro-coup Brig. Gen. Semih Terzi in the head after the latter attempted to seize control of the Special Forces Command in capital Ankara. Pro-coup soldiers later martyred Halisdemir.
According to the government, FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup on July 15, 2016, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.
Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.
