The leaders and members of Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) have their collective day in court this week as a major trial on the wrongdoings of the terrorist group began in the capital city of Ankara Tuesday. Fetullah Gülen and 72 others face charges of violation of the Constitution, founding and running a terrorist group and attempting to overthrow the government. All charges carry hefty sentences including aggravated life imprisonment. Although most defendants skipped trial as they remain at large, the rest will face prison sentences, due to alleged plots by the terror group and suits brought by relatives of a military officer who committed suicide due to the same plot.

Ankara Fourth High Criminal Court will host the week-long hearings. Gülen, as he was in the previous cases regarding his group, will not attend the hearings. He currently resides in Pennsylvania, and has multiple arrest warrants. Turkey seeks his extradition from the United States. Other defendants in the case include tycoon Akın İpek as well as the former executives of STV and the Zaman daily - two media organizations affiliated with FETÖ - Hidayet Karaca and Ekrem Dumanlı. Karaca has already been jailed in another case while Dumanlı and İpek fled abroad after Turkey pressed charges against the two. Other defendants, senior figures of FETÖ, are believed to be abroad as well.

Plaintiffs in the case include members of the former government, the family of Ali Tatar, a lieutenant colonel who committed suicide when FETÖ-linked prosecutors ordered his detention on what he called fabricated charges and Emin Arslan, a former police chief known for his outspoken criticism of FETÖ's infiltration into law enforcement. Hanefi Avcı, another former police chief who found himself a suspect in a terror case after he wrote an expose on Gülenist infiltration into the law enforcement, is also a plaintiff.

The first day of hearings was marked with commotion in the courtroom. As Karaca, who attended the hearing via video link from the prison in which he is held, complained of the lengthy hearing, Hürriyet Ünver, the sister of Ali Tatar, shouted: "Are you tired of waiting? I am waiting for seven years for you killers to account for what you did." Ali Tatar was a Navy officer when he was arrested in 2009 in a case regarding assassination attempts targeting admirals. A higher court ruled for his release after nine days in detention but a new arrest warrant was issued when a FETÖ-linked prosecutor asked for his detention. As he was about to be arrested, Tatar committed suicide, leaving a note proclaiming his innocence. His family has claimed he was the victim of a plot to imprison him and other military officers opposing FETÖ's infiltration into the army. The prosecutor who asked for his arrest was arrested in a crackdown against FETÖ after this year's July 15 coup attempt.

The terror group tried to topple the government twice in 2013 with judges, prosecutors and police officers linked to FETÖ, through an anti-graft probe, aiming to implicate Cabinet members. Then, on July 15 of this year, military officers affiliated with the terrorist group attempted to topple the government and kill the president. The family of Necip Hablemitoğlu, who was killed by unknown gunmen in 2002 after he wrote a book about FETÖ, is also a plaintiff in the case.

An indictment by prosecutors say Gülen hatched a sinister scheme to take over the state institution by exploiting infiltrators loyal to him inside the bureaucracy, judiciary and law enforcement.

It alleges that FETÖ was directly involved in several murders. These include an attack at the higher judiciary authority the Council of State by a gunman who killed a judge and wounded four others in 2006, and the murder of Necip Hablemitoğlu. FETÖ is also accused of playing a role in the suspicious deaths of several other people, including a former intelligence officer.

The indictment reads, "[FETÖ] is not an innocuous, religious nongovernmental organization as it purports to be, rather it is an organization that frequently resorts to use of force and threats to achieve its goals and an organization with a certain organizational structure."

The indictment, chapter by chapter, alleges how FETÖ infiltrated into the "veins" of the state, from the military, law enforcement and judiciary to bureaucracy and political offices. It also details the hierarchy of the group, where six concentric "circles" served the interests of Gülen's seventh "inner circle" and his lieutenants. Prosecutors charge that the outer circle consisted of ordinary people, while higher ups were responsible for instructing them and implementing the orders of the seventh circle. It says the group "punishes" those who sever ties with the FETÖ. It says the group has "international" dimensions and exploits religion to advance their interests. It also adds that it is the largest terrorist group in Turkey with a considerable armed force, referring to security personnel linked to the group. The indictment alleges that the group "also employs other terrorist organizations to achieve its goals."

Gülen's followers view him as a messiah and "Imam of the Universe," supposedly drawing influence from Muslim heretics and Zoroastrianism. "The Imam [Gülen] can determine what is forbidden and not for the faithful, as Gülenists believe he is directly instructed by God," the indictment alleges.