A protester runs to throw a tear gas canister back during clashes with riot police as they try to march to a courthouse in Silivri, where a hearing on people charged with attempting to overthrow government took place, August 5, 2013. REUTERS photo

Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) have called for calm and restraint following the verdicts handed down to a number of active and retired army personnel by an Istanbul court Aug.5 in the Ergenekon coup plot case, in a written statement on its website.

Although the TSK follows closely investigations regarding its personnel it avoids misunderstandings by acting with patience, calm and restraint.

Army shared the pain of their colleagues and their families. The verdict trial of the Ergenekon case Aug.5 resulted in hundreds of years of imprisonment in total and several aggravated life sentences for a series of the country’s high-ranking army members, journalists and academics.

Former Gov. İlker Başbuğ, who served as the chief of General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces between 2008 and 2010, was given a life sentence along with other high-profile military and civilian suspects.