Turkish court sentences ex-generals to 20 years for attempted coup
A Turkish court has sentenced three former generals to 20 years in prison on Friday for plotting a coup against the government, and convicted 330 of the 365 suspects in the so-called "Sledgehammer Coup" trial.
The officers, all of who denied the charges against them, were accused of planning bomb attacks against mosques in Turkey to trigger conflict with neighbouring Greece in order to destabilise the country and justify a military coup against the Islamic AKP government.
The Turkish military has traditionally played a dominant role in Turkish politics and staged coups in 1960, 1971, 1980 and 1997.
The government's relationship with the military, which regards itself as the guardian of the secular Turkish republic, has been strained since the AKP came to power in 2002.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/22/turkish-court-sentences-generals-coup-plot
