Istanbul - A Turkish court on Monday ordered the release of four more defendants convicted over an alleged coup to overthrow the Islamic-rooted government, media reported.
The ruling came after former army chief Ilker Basbug - sentenced to life in jail in connection with the so-called “Ergenekon” conspiracy - was released from prison on Friday.
The constitutional court had ruled earlier that Basbug's legal rights were violated, saying that a lower court failed to publish its detailed verdict on the case and send it to the appeals court.
The ruling set a precedent for journalist Tuncay Ozkan, former army officer Levent Goktas, alleged gang leader Sedat Peker and lawyer Kemal Kerincsiz, who were released after a local court ruled in favour of a complaint filed by them.
The court imposed a travel ban on the defendants, who were all convicted last year over their roles in the Ergenekon conspiracy.
Ozkan and Kerincsiz were sentenced to life in prison after being detained in 2008, while Goktas and Peker were given long jail terms.
Their release was partly made possible by a new law passed by parliament last month under which the detention limit for suspects on trial was lowered to five years.
Dozens of other suspects are expected to be released on the grounds that their detention period exceeded legal limits.
Sapa-AFP