Ergenekon trials

rdf:langString Ergenekon trials

rdf:langString The Ergenekon trials were a series of high-profile trials which took place on 2008–2016 in Turkey in which 275 people, including military officers, journalists and opposition lawmakers, all alleged members of Ergenekon, a suspected secularist clandestine organization, were accused of plotting against the Turkish government. The trials resulted in lengthy prison sentences for the majority of the accused. Those sentences were overturned shortly after. Since Istanbul Heavy Penal Court 13 (tr: 13. İstanbul Ağır Ceza Mahkemesi) accepted the 2,455-page indictment against 86 defendants in the first case against alleged members of the supposed clandestine organization Ergenekon on 28 July 2008 a further 14 indictments were submitted up until February 2011. Until the fourth indictment the number of defendants had increased to 531 and more than 8,000 pages of indictments had been written. Most trials were held in Silivri Prison. In June 2009, the prison's sport hall was converted for the term of the trial into a maxi courtroom with a capacity for 753 people. In April 2016, the Supreme Court of Appeals overturned the lower court's convictions because prosecutors had been unable to prove that Ergenekon actually existed and whatever evidence presented had been collected illegally.