Turkish court sentences preacher to 8,600 years

The Istanbul Regional Criminal Court has approved a sentence of 8,658 years in prison for Turkish preacher Adnan Oktar and 13 other defendants in a multiple-crimes case.

Oktar was sentenced in 2021 to 1,000 years and 75 years in prison for sexual harassment and violence, including abuse of minors, kidnapping and violating tax laws, Habertürk TV channel reported, calling the verdict a record.

A total of 215 defendants were involved in the case, some of whom were convicted of involvement in the "Oktar criminal organisation", but the verdict was overturned by an appeals court and the trial was restarted. Last November, the defendants were sentenced to 8,658 years in prison and the court's decision was also appealed.

Oktar is the author of the doctrine of "Islamic creationism", which denies the theory of evolution.