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A Turkish court sentenced an Islamic televangelist and cult leader to 8,658 years in prison in a re-trial for running a decades-old cult whose members were accused of crimes ranging from sexual assault to blackmail, money laundering and espionage.
Adnan Oktar led television programmes surrounded by women wearing lots of makeup and little clothes as he preached creationism and conservative values.
Last year, the 66-year-old was sentenced to 1,075 years for crimes including sexual assault, sexual abuse of minors, fraud and attempted political and military espionage.
But that ruling was overturned by an upper court.
During the retrial, Istanbul high criminal court sentenced Oktar to 8,658 years in prison on several charges including sexual abuse and depriving someone of their liberty, the Anadolu news agency reported.
The court also sentenced 10 other suspects to 8,658 years in prison each, the agency said.
Oktar, whom critics see as the leader of a cult, gained notoriety for his programmes on the online A9 television channel and had regularly been denounced by Turkey’s religious leaders.
