Turkey coup trial: Almost 500 in court amid protests
Get link
Facebook
X
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps
-
Almost 500 people arrested after last year's failed coup in Turkey have appeared in court accused of taking part in the plot.
Some
of the handcuffed defendants were jeered as they were individually
escorted into court by police and armed guards in front of TV cameras.
The trial focuses on events at the Akinci airbase which it is alleged was the plotters' headquarters.
It is taking place in a purpose-built courtroom outside the capital Ankara.
The
defendants face charges from attempting to assassinate the president to
murder. As some arrived at court they were met by protesters chanting
"We want the death penalty!"
Some of the demonstrators had relatives killed or injured during the coup attempt and threw nooses towards the suspects.
Rebel soldiers tried to grab power in July 2016, leaving 249 civilians dead.
Military
chief Gen Hulusi Akar and other senior officers were held hostage at
the base for several hours on the night that the coup took place.
The trial is the largest yet relating to the coup. Anyone convicted is expected to get life imprisonment.
Although Turkey abolished the death penalty in 2004, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan proposed a referendum on the issue in his speech after narrowly winning a vote to expand his powers in April.
The president has been increasingly supportive of a reintroduction of capital punishment since the failed coup.
But the EU has made clear that any such move would effectively bring an end to Turkey's negotiations to join the bloc.
Opobo: Land of the ‘great’ King Jaja where making noise at night is forbidden Boasting of a rich past and an interesting culture, Opobo, homeland of legendary merchant trader, King Jaja, is a place where taboos soar above several other things, writes ERIC DUMO The sight of eye-catching multi-storey buildings greet you as you make your way into Opobo town. Whether you decide to come in through the community’s vast but dilapidated jetty or through its newest entry point at the other end, courtesy of an ongoing road project linking the ancient kingdom to the outside world through Nkoror, its nearest neighbours by land, the sight is the same – beautiful structures squeezed into every available space welcomes you into the town. Until recently when vehicles and motorcycles could go into Opobo from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, or other parts of the country through Bori in Ogoniland and navigating through Nkoror before getting to the community, residents and visitors had to rely on speed boats...
Three students of the Umaru Musa Yar’adua University (UMYUK) have died in a ghastly motor accident on their way home after concluding their examinations. It was gathered that the accident involving a commercial bus occurred along Katsina – Dutsin-ma highway on Tuesday evening, April 20. The Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the SUG President, Umar Ahmad, who confirmed the report in a statement on Wednesday April 21, said two other students were injured in the accident. "With immense sorrow, pain and grief, The student's Union Government regret to announce the untimely demised of some students. They were involved in a ghastly car accident yesterday on their way back from school to their various destination," the statement reads. He gave the names of the injured as Halilu Ibrahim - Edu. Physics (200L) and Abdulbasir Aminu - Edu. Geography ( 200L). The deceased were identified as Hamza lawal - Edu Math...
A Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Minna, Niger State has remanded a housewife, Amina Aliyu along with three other accused persons over allegations of conspiracy and culpable homicide. LIB reported that the newlywed, Fatima Aliyu,19, was allegedly beaten to death with a pestle and her body set on fire by Amina in Minna, on Tuesday March 23, seven weeks after her wedding. Amina, who is nursing a three-week-old baby boy was arraigned alongside Aisha Mohammed, Zainab Aliyu and Fauziyya Rabi’u, by operatives of Homicide section of the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) Niger State Police Command, on Wednesday, March 31. The accused persons were alleged to have conspired among themselves to kill Amina’s co-wife, Fatima. According to the Police First Information Report (FIR), Amina Aliyu and Fati Aliyu were both married to the same husband and reside on Mandela Road, Sauka-Kahuta area of Minna. The charges read in part: ...
Some of the demonstrators had relatives killed or injured during the coup attempt and threw nooses towards the suspects. 
Comments
Post a Comment