Retired Turkish general sentenced to over six years in coup plot trial

Retired Turkish General Cetin Dogan has been sentenced to six years and eight months in prison in the retrial of a military coup plot codenamed Balyoz (Sledgehammer). The retrial came after Turkey's highest court of appeals overturned the original convictions of over 330 people, including Dogan, in 2013.

The case dates back to 2010 when a group of military officers, including Dogan, were accused of plotting to overthrow the Turkish government in 2003. The defendants were accused of planning to bomb mosques and other public places, as well as provoking a military conflict with Greece in order to create a pretext for a coup.

The original trial was widely criticized for its lack of concrete evidence and allegations of political interference. In 2013, the court of cassation overturned the convictions and ordered a retrial.

The retrial began in 2020, with the prosecution arguing that Dogan and his co-defendants had planned to carry out a coup in 2003, but their plot was foiled by the government. The defense argued that the evidence against Dogan was circumstantial and that the case was politically motivated.