In Turkey, life sentences rained in one of the main maxi-trials for the failed coup of 15 July 2016, relating to the actions carried out in the Akinci air base on the outskirts of Ankara, used by the coup leaders as headquarters.
A court in the Turkish capital itself sentenced at least 27 defendants to dozens of aggravated life sentences each, that is to say hard prison.
The news agency Anadolu reports.
Among the condemned are several former senior officers of the armed forces and some of the pilots found guilty of bombing iconic places on the night of the putsch, including Parliament. The charges included "attempted overthrow of the constitutional order", "attempted murder of the President of the Republic" and "voluntary murder". Life imprisonment was also inflicted on at least 4 civilians, including businessman Kemal Batmaz, all accused of acting on behalf of the network of the imam and magnate Fethullah Gulen, former ally of the head of state Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accused of orchestrating the coup. Ankara's justice has repeatedly asked for his extradition from the United States, where he has been residing since 1999, which has so far been denied by the American authorities.