Court in Turkey rules for release of all Balyoz convicts after Constitutional Court verdict

A court in Istanbul ruled for the release of all convicts in the Balyoz (Sledgehammer) coup plot case on June 19, a day after the Constitutional Court ruled that the rights of 230 convicts were violated and they should be retried,

Hurriyet Daily News reports.

Some 81 convicts applied to the 4th Heavy Penal Court of Istanbul’s Anatolia Courthouse on June 19 for a release, but the court eventually released all 230 who had previously filed individual applications to the Constitutional Court. 

The latest court verdict was in accordance with the prosecutor’s plea, which demanded the suspension of the execution of sentences and the retrial of the convicts.

The Constitutional Court had stated in particular that the rights of the convicted suspects had been breached regarding the digital data used as evidence throughout the trial, as well as the defendants’ testimonies.