Indictment for 140 suspects who blocked Istanbul’s Martyrs Bridge during coup

A total of 140 cases were filed on Friday against suspects as part of an indictment regarding the events on the July 15 Martyrs Bridge located in Istanbul, Turkey, during last year’s military coup attempt.

Among the suspects are 84 private soldiers and 48 military students. The indictment includes a list of 34 martyrs, including well-known advertiser Erol Olçok.

The July 15 Martyrs Bridge was formally known as the Bosporus Bridge, and was renamed in memory of those killed when resisting the coup attempt.

A total of 249 people were martyred and nearly 2,200 injured in the July 15 failed coup which was perpetrated by the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), led by ringleader Fetullah Gülen, who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania.

Gülen pursued a long-running campaign to overthrow the Turkish government through the infiltration of state institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the parallel state.

Since the failed coup, operations have been ongoing in the military, police and judiciary as well as in state institutions across the country to arrest suspects with alleged links to FETÖ.