Turkey puts 47 on trial for ‘coup plot to kill Erdogan’

One of the most senior soldiers on trial, former brigadier general Gokhan Sahin Sonmezates, said he believed he was part of an action by the Turkish army "to protect my country".

Zekeriya Kuzu, one of the main suspects accused of attempting to assassinate Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan on the night of a failed coup attempt on July 15, 2106, and the other soldiers are escorted by Turkish gendarmes as they arrive for the first hearing of their trial in Mugla, Turkey, on February 20, 2017. Kenan Gurbuz / ReutersShow less

Mugla, Turkey // One of the nearly 50 suspects in an alleged plot to assassinate Turkey’s president admitted involvement in the botched July 15 coup bid as their mass trial opened on Monday.

Most of the 44 people who appeared court in were soldiers. Three others accused of attempting to kill Recep Tayyip Erdogan are on the run and being tried in their absence.

The trial in the southern city of Mugla is being held under tight security, with snipers posted on rooftops and helicopters circling overhead.

Mr Erdogan, who was with his family at a hotel in the upmarket Aegean resort of Marmaris on the night of the coup attempt, has said he was 15 minutes from death.

Turkish officials say the attempt to kill Mr Erdogan was a key part of a plot they allege was masterminded by the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen and his so-called Fethullah terror organisation (Feto). Mr Gulen denies any involvement.

One of the most senior soldiers on trial, former brigadier general Gokhan Sahin Sonmezates, denied any link to Mr Gulen, describing his organisation as a “perversion”.

Mr Sonmezates said he believed he was part of an action by the Turkish army. “My motivation was to protect my country,” he told the court.

A second suspect, former major Sukru Seymen, admitted: “Yes, I conducted a coup”, adding, “even if I get the death penalty, it won’t hurt me.”

He also insisted he was not a Gulen follower, but an admirer of Turkey’s secular founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Mr Gulen is one of the three accused in the assassination plot trial who is still at large. Ankara has repeatedly demanded that the United States extradite him.

The trial is being held in a conference centre rather than a standard courtroom to accommodate the number of defendants. They were placed at the centre, surrounded by dozens of soldiers with batons.

The initial phase should last until March 15.

Prosecutors have sought multiple life sentences for each of the 47 suspects, who include an alleged “hit squad” of 37 soldiers.

Many were found hiding in the mountains above Marmaris, even in caves, in the days after the coup bid that left 248 dead besides the plotters.

Mr Erdogan managed to flee Marmaris with his family, including his son-in-law, energy minister Berat Albayrak, and fly to Istanbul, where he oversaw the suppression of the coup.

Two policemen who guarding Mr Erdogan at the hotel were killed.

Mr Erdogan’s lawyer Huseyin Aydin said the plan was to “neutralise the president”.

After the coup, there have been calls to reimpose the death penalty in Turkey, which was abolished in 2004. Its reinstatement would spell the end of Turkey’s bid to join the European Union, but Mr Erdogan has repeatedly said he would approve legislation reimposing the death penalty if it was passed by parliament.

About 43,000 people have been arrested since the coup in a massive crackdown on followers of Mr Gulen that has raised international concern. The Mugla trial is one of many now getting under way across the country to judge the coup suspects.

* Agence France-Presse