General of 1980 Turkish Military Coup Charged

The Anatolia news agency has reported that the General who was the leader and a conspirator of the 1980 Turkish military coup, have been charged with crimes against the state of Turkey after on Tuesday, a court in Ankara gave approval of an indictment. It reported that the prosecutors have been asking for a life imprisonment sentence for the now ailing retired general, 94-year-old Kenan Evren, and 86-year-old Tahsin Sahinkaya. Evren assumed power in Turkey after the coup and remained the President of the country from 1982 to 1989. In 1980 five army generals assumed power but Sahinkaya and Evren are the only ones who are alive. After the approval of the indictment, a trial is due to begin and a subsequent process is expected that will bring Turkey closer to confront its past which is marred by frequent military coups, as this is for the first time in the history of the state that the perpetrators of the coup will be facing a trial.

In a speech in the parliament given on Tuesday, Prime Minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the time of the military coups are now a thing of the past. The Turkish military considers itself the guardian of secularism and the principles laid by Mustafa Kemal Pasha. It currently boasts a force of 515,000 troops and has so far carried out three coups in the country toppling civilian governments, in 1960, 1971 and 1980.

In 1997 the Turkish army compelled a coalition government led by a religious Prime Minister to quit. However since Recep Tayyip Erdogan the PM from the Justice and Development party took office in 2002, the unconstitutional and illegal influence of the Turkish military has significantly waned.

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Tags: military, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey