Istanbul prosecutor demands life sentence for ex-army head Ilker Basbug

Chief Prosecutor Mehmet Ali Pekguzel on Monday submitted his opinion on the "Ergenekon" case to the court. In his opinion submitted to the Istanbul High Criminal Court No. 13, Pekguzel underlined that the existence of the "Ergenekon" terrorist organization was held as accurate. Prosecutor Pekguzel is reading the summary of 2,271 page long opinion at the court on Monday. There are 275 defendants in the "Ergenekon" case and 67 of them, including former Chief of Turkish General Staff retired general Ilker Basbug, deputies of main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Mustafa Balbay and Mehmet Haberal, and retired General Veli Kucuk, are in prison. The prosecutor demanded aggravated life in prison for 10 defendants, including Ilker Basbug in the "Ergenekon" case. Prosecutors had claimed that the "Ergenekon terrorist organization" existed and they claimed that the organization was responsible for virtually every act of political violence - and controlled every terrorist group - in Turkey over the last 30 years.