"The coup could have been prevented, they did not show any reaction"

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Former Air Forces Commander General Akın Öztürk , who was sentenced to 141 terms of aggravated life imprisonment on the charge of being the mastermind of the July 15 coup attempt, made his defense in the General Staff Umbrella Trial.

Öztürk, who was the first general to be convicted in the first trial before the Court of Cassation's partial reversal decision and who had all his ranks stripped and his status reduced to private and his assets confiscated, attended the hearing held by the Ankara 17th High Criminal Court in the Sincan Prison Campus following the Court of Cassation's partial reversal decision.

Öztürk said, "I completely followed the instructions given by Hulusi Akar. It's true that some forces were behind this, but the necessary precautions weren't taken. To put it mildly, it was a dereliction of duty. This coup could have been prevented. Shame on those who couldn't react for 2.5 hours." Regarding the bombing of 34 citizens in the Uludere district of Şırnak in 2011, Öztürk said, "I know who gave the order, but I'll tell you when the time comes, not now."