Turkey's key coup trial kicks off with 486 suspects

Turkey has begun the critical trial on the July 2016 coup attempt, in which 486 suspects stand accused of attempting a putsch to overthrow the elected government from the Akıncı Air Base, considered the central nerve center of the coup.

The Ankara 4th Criminal Court began on Aug. 1 the trial on events at the Akıncı Air Base, the commanding center on the coup night, from which warplanes took off to bomb the Turkish Parliament and other key state offices, killing77 people. 

Some 486 suspects including Fethullah Gülen, the U.S.-based preacher believed to have masterminded the coup attempt, and civilians Adil Öksüz, Kemal Batmaz, Harun Biniş, Nurettin Oruç and Hakan Çiçek, who are considered to be the civilian leaders of the FETÖ (Fethullahist Terrorist Organization) in critical offices like the Air Forces and the Gendarmerie, will be on trial until Aug. 29 for the first hearing.

In the prosecutor's indictment, which is over 6,000 pages long, the suspects are accused of "violating the Constitution, attempting to assassinate the President, attempting to abolish the government of Turkey, managing an armed terrorist organization, seizing military bases, manslaughter, attempting manslaughter, and deprivation of liberty."

The suspects were brought to the Sincan Courtroom, which has been exclusively built for the coup trials, escorted by gendarmerie forces under tight security measures.

As they were brought to the dock one by one, protesters outside of the complex chanted slogans demanding the death penalty for the coup plotters. 

The case is considered central because Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar and other force commanders were taken to the Akıncı base and held captive there by pro-coup soldiers. The generals...