Turkish prosecutor Selcuk Kocaman seeks on Friday heavy life sentences for former president and chief of staff Kenan Evren and ex-general Tahsin Sahinkaya, accused of ousting the elected government on September 12, 1980. Evren and Sahinkaya participated in the hearing through video link as they are hospitalized due to health problems.
The Turkish army ousted elected governments in 1960, 1971 and 1980; however due to a constitutional restriction, those infamous coups and their juntas - such as former president Kenan Evren and ex-general Tahsin Sahinkaya, the last living members of the Sept. 12 coup - could not be held accountable. After the annulment of provisional article No. 15 of the Constitution, the article used to give immunity to generals, with a referendum on September 12, 2010, the road to judge Evren and Sahinkaya was opened.
The Ankara Chief Prosecutor's Office assessed the lawsuit petitions filed from across the country before launching an investigation into the September 12 military coup process.
The Ankara 12th High Criminal Court accepted on January 10, 2012 the indictment prepared by the Ankara public prosecutor with special authority Kemal Cetin. The indictment accused Evren and Sahinkaya of attempting to change or eliminate the Constitution - completely or partially - and eliminate or override the mission of Parliament. The indictment asked for heavy life sentences for Evren and Sahinkaya. The court began hearing the case on April 4, 2012.
The September 12, 1980 military coup, headed by Evren, was known as the bloodiest intervention throughout Turkey's history. The generals seized power in 1980 after years of political unrest which claimed hundreds of lives. For the next three years, the Turkish Armed Forces ruled the country through the National Security Council before democracy was restored.
A total of 650,000 people were detained during this period, and the files of 1,683,000 people were kept at police stations. A total of 230,000 people were tried in 210,000 cases, mostly for political reasons. Out of this group, 517 people were sentenced to death, while 7,000 people faced charges carrying a sentence of capital punishment. Of those who received the death penalty, 50 were executed. As a result of unsanitary living conditions and torture in prisons, a further 299 people died while in custody.
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