More than 300 suspects face multiple life sentences for their alleged involvement in a failed military coup. Ankara has blamed a self-exiled Turkish cleric for orchestrating the attempt to overthrow the government.
Image: picture-alliance/AA
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Turkey's largest trial of suspects allegedly involved in the failed coup last year began on Tuesday in the Sincan prison outside of Anakara.
The courtroom used for the trial was built specially to hold more than 1,500 people, including 720 defendants.
Roughly 330 suspects face multiple life sentences for their alleged links to last year's attempt to overthrow Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. However, some 240 are in police custody, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.
The suspects are accused of attempting to "overthrow the constitutional order, attempting to overthrow the government and parliament or hinder them from preventing their duties, murder and being members of a terrorism organization," according to Anadolu.
The first suspect to testify was military cadet Abdulkadir Kahraman, who told the court that his commander ordered troops to prepare for operations because there had been a terror attack. Other suspects offered similar testimonies during the hearing.
'Ruthless crackdown'
Authorities blamed self-exiled Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen for orchestrating the coup. Ankara claimed Gulen operates a global network of supporters, which the government has labeled a terrorist group.
Since the failed coup on July 15, Turkey has launched a nationwide crackdown, arresting more than 43,000 in the armed forces, police, schools and judiciary.
Human rights organizations have criticized the erosion of fundamental rights in the country, including freedoms of expression, association and assembly.
"Instead of building on the cross-party unity opposed to the coup to strengthen democracy, Turkey's government has opted for a ruthless crackdown on critics and opponents," said Hugh Williamson, Human Rights Watch's Europe and Central Asia director, in January.
"With hundreds of thousands of people dismissed or detained without due process, an independent media silenced and Kurdish opposition members of parliament in jail, Turkey has been plunged into its worst crisis in a generation," Williamson added.
Turkey: The failed coup and its aftermath
Night of terror: The failed coup attempt turned Turkey into a war zone. More than 260 people have died. Does the country face the threat of a civil war?
Image: Getty Images/E.Ortac
Bloodshed by the Bosphorus
A blood covered resident of Istanbul stands near the Bosphorus Bridge. There were clashes between civilians and the army after the military had blocked the bridge. Government sources say that more than 260 people were killed in fighting during the coup attempt.
Image: Getty Images/B.Kilic
Tanks roll through streets
Tanks drove through several cities in the night in a completely surprise move. The Turkish military announced its takeover. The tracked vehicles flattened cars in the streets of Istanbul and Ankara, turning the country into a war zone.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/T.Bozoglu
Lights out in parliament
After the bombing of parliament in Ankara, the building is in ruins. Fighter jets flew low over the capital and had the citizens panicking.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B.Uzun
Who owns the Republic Monument?
The army not only closed the Bosphorus Bridge: it also occupied Taksim Square, a main transportation hub in Istanbul. The soldiers positioned themselves in front of the Republic Monument.
Image: Reuters/M. Sezer
Icon of resistance
Erdogan supporters also protested on the square. A showdown began when a soldier pointed his gun at a man. The army opened fire on the protesting crowd on the square.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/U.O.Simsek/
The calm after the storm
Shirts off their backs: After the failed coup attempt, rebel soldiers laid down their arms on the Bosporus Bridge and fled.
Image: Getty Images/G.Tan
Put to flight
After the armed forces had surrendered, soldiers tried to get on a bus to flee from the angry masses.
Image: Reuters/M.Sezer
Cheering crowds
President Tayyip Erdogan returned to Istanbul. Cheering crowds received him at the airport. Erdogan announced that the rebels would pay a heavy price.
Image: Reuters/H.Aldemir
It's over!
Erdogan supporters triumph and wave the Turkish flag after the army's withdrawal. The coup attempt has failed.
Image: Getty Images/G.Tan
Posing on a tank
Bizarre souvenir: A mother took a picture of her daughter on top of a tank. The tank on the Bosphorus Bridge was surrounded by Turkish police.
