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President and the Justice and Development chairperson Recep Tayyip Erdoğan pardoned three convicts. All three were among those convicted in the February 28 case related to the "postmodern coup" on February 28, 1997.
The remaining sentences of Ahmet Çörekçi, born in 1932, Hakkı Kılınç, born in 1940, and İdris Koralp, born in 1948 were pardoned due to old age. All three were convicted for "dethroning the government of the Republic of Türkiye or preventing it to carry out its duty by force" and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Retired general Çörekçi was the Commander of the Air Forces in 1997.
The presidential decree cites reports by the 3rd expert's board of the Forensic Medicine Institution.
President Erdoğan has issued the decree according to provision 16 of article 104 of the Constitution.
February 28 case
The February 28 case started on September 2, 2013, with 103 suspects. The suspects were charged with "dethroning the government of the Republic of Türkiye and preventing it to carry out its duty by force." Ankara 5th Heavy Penal Court sentenced 21 of the 103 suspects to life imprisonment in April 2018.
69 suspects were acquitted and the case was dropped for 10 suspects due to a lapse of time and for 4 suspects due to their death.
İsmail Hakkı Karadayı, who was one of the suspects and also the Chief of General Staff in that period lost his life on May 26, 2020, while the case was on appeal.
The Court of Cassation upheld life imprisonment for 14 suspects on July 9, 2021.
Vural Avar died while in prison in Sincan prison in Ankara on December 22, 2022, of dementia.
Çevik Bir, Çetin Saner, and Aydan Erol were released before due to health problems. (AS/PE)
