Istanbul – Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul said on Thursday that Turkey expects to conclude majority of the more than 100 ongoing court cases related to a failed 2016 coup, according to state news agency, Anadolu.
“One or two court cases, including Akinci or those with a high number of defendants, could be delayed. But, except for these, we hope that all coup cases be concluded by the end of the year,’’ Gul was quoted as saying by Anadolu in the north-western province of Sakarya.
The Akinci airbase in Ankara is alleged to have been a nerve centre of the putschists on July 15, 2016.
Forty five out of a total of 486 suspects on trial in the Akinci case face 303 life sentences if found guilty, according to Anadolu.
The government blames U.S.-based cleric, Fethullah Gulen, for orchestrating the abortive putsch which left more than 250 people dead.
“There is a very strong, very legitimate and a very large expectation in the public to swiftly bring the July 15 treason to account,’’ Gul said.
In June, Gul said 171 coup related cases out of a total 287 were concluded where 1,509 people were sentenced to life imprisonment, according to Anadolu.
The failed coup had triggered a state of emergency that lasted two years.
The government launched a crackdown on the opposition, civil servants and the media and more than 77,000 people were arrested over their alleged links to Gulen.
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