Ex-military judge gets 6-month suspended sentence for accusing Hulusi Akar of negligence in coup attempt

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An Ankara court has sentenced former military judge Ahmet Zeki Üçok to six months and seven days in jail for his comments and social media posts accusing then-Chief of General Staff and current Defense Minister Hulusi Akar of negligence during the failed coup attempt of July 15, 2016.

The Ankara 20th Criminal Court of First Instance found Üçok guilty of attempting to “destroy sense of confidence in commanders” and “insulting” Akar through his comments but suspended the sentence on the condition that he does not repeat the act for the next five years, state-run Anadolu Agency said on June 27.

The indictment prepared by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office said that Üçok had written on his social media account that Akar needed to “stand trial” over negligence in the July 15, 2016 coup attempt.

In his other remarks, Üçok implied that Akar could have easily gotten out of the military he was confined to and resumed command of the military when the coup attempt broke out.

Akar said in his previous statements said that he stood up against the coup plotters from the first moment the coup was initiated but he received criticism from some fractions of the society for not showing a tougher stance.

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