ISTANBUL — A terrorism court in Turkey sentenced 151 people to life in prison Thursday in one of the most important trials arising from the failed 2016 military coup.

Those sentenced included the accused ringleaders — generals and other military officers who seized control of the General Staff headquarters on the night of the coup and took prisoner Gen. Hulusi Akar, who was then Chief of the General Staff and is now Turkey’s Defense Minister.

Turkish media reported that 128 people received “aggravated life” sentences, which indicates harsh conditions without parole, for their role in the coup, with another 23 receiving standard life sentences. Many of the defendants were given multiple life sentences for crimes ranging from murder to attempting to overthrow the constitutional order.

Turkey has been convulsed for the last three years in the aftermath of the July 15, 2016 coup that left over 250 people dead, most of them civilians who went to the streets to face down the military.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been arrested and put through mass trials for events that took place during the coup at scores of military bases and government institutions. The most important trials have mainly involved actions at the General Staff headquarters, where the senior military commanders were taken prisoner and asked to join the coup, and at the Akinci Air Base, which was used as the operations center for the coup.

Among those indicted is Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim preacher and former political ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who lives in Pennsylvania. He is accused of being the main instigator of the coup and the leader of the cabal in Turkey that orchestrated the coup after infiltrating the military and judiciary at high levels. A group of civilians with close links to Mr. Gulen have also been accused of directing the coup from Akinci Air Base.

Turkey’s request for Mr. Gulen’s extradition has not been successful. United States officials have said the evidence put forward by Turkey is insufficient and would not stand up in an American court.

Those sentenced Thursday included Gen. Akin Ozturk, a former commander of the Turkish Air Force and the most senior officer involved in the coup. General Ozturk was present at Akinci base on the night of the coup and was accused of being part of the “Peace in Homeland Council,” the name the plotters used in their statement that night.

Also sentenced was the former head of the Strategic Transformation Department of the General Staff, Maj. Gen. Mehmet Disli, who was accused of organizing the seizure of the General Staff headquarters.

Lt. Col. Levent Turkkan, an aide to General Akar, received a single life sentence. He reportedly confessed soon after his capture to being part of the Gulen movement, but he retracted the statement in court, saying he had been mistreated and disoriented when he made the admission.

Seventeen men were found guilty of attempting to kill Mr. Erdogan, for their role in plotting to apprehend him at a hotel at a coastal resort. Mr. Erdogan left the hotel before the unit sent to intercept him arrived.

Ali Yazici, who was Mr. Erdogan’s military aide, was also among those convicted.

Another 33 men were acquitted. The trials of 13 of the defendants named in the original indictment, including Mr. Gulen, have been postponed because they are not in custody.

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