Turkey sentenced hundreds of people to life in prison Thursday, as a mass trial for those accused of orchestrating a failed 2016 coup reached its conclusion. Of the 475 defendants in the trial, 337 were given life sentences, according to The New York Times. The July 2016 coup attempt —in which a faction of the Turkish military looked to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan—lasted only one day, but still managed to claim over 300 lives, as troops and pro-Erdoğan forces clashed in Istanbul and the capital of Ankara. Since then, Erdoğan has dramatically cracked down on dissenters, purging and detaining thousands he accuses of being loyal to Fetullah Gülen, a onetime ally turned dissident. Erdoğan has repeatedly accused Gülen of having orchestrated the coup; Gülen, who now lives in Pennsylvania, has denied any involvement.
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