Key ex-politician on trial in a coup case in Turkey

One of the most influential figures in recent Turkish politics, former Col. Alpaslan Turkes, went on trial for his life Wednesday, accused of plotting a right-wing coup.

Prosecutors have demanded the death penalty for Mr. Turkes and 219 other leaders of his Nationalist Movement Party, which is held responsible for much of the right-wing violence preceding a military coup last year.

Murders and political attacks are the basis of charges against Turkes, who served twice as deputy prime minister in the 1970s and whose style is often compared to that of European Fascist leaders of the '30s.