No less than 330 defendants, most of them members of a military school of officers, risk life sentences for their alleged links to a military coup attempt last year by insurgents. Islamist cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in exile in the United States.
They are mainly accused of murder, "attempt to overthrow the constitutional order" and that they were members of "a terrorist organization".
According to the pro-government Anatoli news agency, 243 of the accused have been remanded in custody.
The trial began under tight security at Xinjiang Prison near Ankara. A vehicle equipped with a water cannon was ready to intervene while an unmanned aircraft was flying over relatives of the accused who were there, a French Agency reporter reported.
The courtroom, built to accommodate up to 1.558 people, was filled with members of the security forces who surrounded the defendants.
The first to answer questions, Abdulkadir Kahraman, a student at the military academy, said that on the night of the coup, the soldiers had been supplied with ammunition after being informed by their superior that a terrorist attack had taken place.
Other defendants made similar statements, such as Arif Ozan Demir, who said his commander had asked soldiers to be "ready" for an attack.
Source: Sigmalive