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Turkey coup defendants deny Gulen affiliation

The group trials have begun of soldiers charged in connection with the July coup, and although their defenses have varied, all have so far denied being followers of cleric Fethullah Gulen.
Turkish soldiers accused of attempting to assassinate President Tayyip Erdogan on the night of the failed last year's July 15 coup, are escorted by gendarmes as they arrive for the first hearing of the trial in Mugla, Turkey, February 20, 2017. REUTERS/Kenan Gurbuz - RTSZGNP

As the first major trials of military personnel accused of involvement in the failed July coup get underway, many people are eager to learn exactly what happened that night.

Instead of combining the cases into a single trial, the Turkish authorities have divided them according to their importance and location. The intention is to expedite the court process and make the events more understandable.

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