ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A Turkish court on Friday acquitted two of three defendants in a case against hunger strikers, and sentenced the third to six years and three months in jail and ordered her release pending appeals process, defense attorneys told Reuters.

FILE PHOTO: Nuriye Gulmen, a literature professor, and Semih Ozakca, a primary school teacher, who have been on hunger strike take part in a protest against a government purge in Ankara, Turkey, May 11, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer

Two of the defendants in the case, academic Nuriye Gulmen and primary school teacher Semih Ozakca, have been on hunger strike for months to protest losing their jobs in the government’s purge since a failed coup attempt last year. The third defendant, Acun Karadag, took part in rallies in Ankara along with the hunger strikers.