71,000 people were judged on account of the articles 141, 142 and 163 in Turkish Penal Code. Ecevit was warned about the coming coup in June 1979 by Nuri Gündeş of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT). In 1979, Demirel once again became Prime Minister. 937 films were banned because they were found objectionable. 1983 - General election won by Turgut Ozal's Motherland Party. But neither of the two was sent to prison as both were in hospitals for medical treatment. There was large-scale unemployment, and a chronic foreign trade deficit. [31] Şahinkaya died in the Gülhane Military Medical Academy Hospital (GATA) in Haydarpaşa, Istanbul on 9 July 2015. One notable victim of the hangings was a 17-year-old Erdal Eren, who said he looked forward to it in order to avoid thinking of the torture he had witnessed. [4][5] The violence abruptly stopped afterwards,[6] and the coup was welcomed by some for restoring order. Evren says the only other person beside Saltık who was aware of the details was Nurettin Ersin. They decided to adopt a new constitution that included mechanisms to prevent what they saw as impeding the functioning of democracy. 50 of those given the death penalty were executed (26 political prisoners, 23 criminal offenders and 1. The National Unity Committee 400 journalists were sentenced to 3,315 years and 6 months imprisonment, and 31 journalists were actually imprisoned. At first, Demirel continued the coalition with the Nationalist Front. Yildirim Akbulut became the head of the Parliament. The 1980s On September 12, 1980, the senior command of the army, led by General Kenan Evren, carried out a bloodless coup. [1][2][3] The violence saw a sharp downturn for a period after the coup, which was welcomed by some for restoring order[4] by quickly executing 50 people and arresting 500,000 hundreds of whom would die in prison. The deputy undersecretary of the MİT, Nihat Yıldız, was demoted to the London consulate and replaced by a lieutenant general as a result. Just after the coup, Turkey revitalized the Atatürk Dam and the Southeastern Anatolia Project, which was a land reform project promoted as a solution to the underdeveloped Southeastern Anatolia. Six years after Turkey invaded Cyprus, another military coup d'état, in 1980 in Turkey, would destroy whatever crumbs of freedoms remained. [9] Henceforth, the politicians seemed unable to combat the growing violence in the country. Özal supported the IMF, and to this end he forced the resignation of the director of the Central Bank, İsmail Aydınoğlu, who opposed it. Backlash from political organizations after the coup would therefore be prevented. The coup was carried out in … On 9 November 1982 Kenan Evren was appointed President for the next seven years. After the government was overthrown, Henze cabled Washington, saying, "our boys [in Ankara] did it. Foreign investment was encouraged. [30] In 2012, a court case was launched against Şahinkaya and Kenan Evren relating to the 1980 military coup. Meanwhile, Süleyman Demirel founded the center-right True Path Party in 1983, and returned to active politics after the 1987 Turkish referendum. [3], The coup was planned to take place on 11 July 1980, but was postponed after a motion to put Demirel's government to a vote of confidence was rejected on 2 July. It is totally a tale, a myth, It is something Birand fabricated. [9] At the end of 1981 a Turkish-American Defense Council (Turkish language: Türk-Amerikan Savunma Konseyi) was founded. Ecevit was warned about the coming coup in June 1979 by Nuri Gündeş of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT). The pan-European parliament, the Council of Europe, had cited the military regime's record of human rights violations as justification for banning Turkish participation in 1982 (see Foreign Relations, this ch. At the Supreme Military Council meeting (Turkish: Yüksek Askeri Şura) on 26 August, a second date was proposed: 12 September. The 1970s were marked by right-wing/left-wing armed conflicts, often proxy wars between the United States and the Soviet Union, respectively. [13], On 7 September 1980, Evren and the four service commanders decided that they would overthrow the civilian government. [13] Evren made only minor amendments to Saltık's plan, titled "Operation Flag" (Turkish language: Bayrak Harekâtı). [15], The coup was planned to take place on 11 July 1980, but was postponed after a motion to put Demirel's government to a vote of confidence was rejected on 2 July. [12], On 11 September 1979, General Kenan Evren ordered a hand-written report from full general Haydar Saltık on whether or not a coup was in order, or if the government merely needed a stern warning. 98,404 people were tried on charges of being members of a leftist, a rightist, a nationalist, a conservative, etc. Such airports were built in the provinces of Batman, Muş, Bitlis, Van and Kars in the south-east. [14], A second report, submitted in March 1980, recommended undertaking the coup without further delay, otherwise apprehensive lower-ranked officers might be tempted to "take the matter into their own hands". The analysis focuses on the National Security Council government of the period, against the broader historical background of military involvement in Turkish political development. On the day of the coup, it was on the verge of collapse, with three digit inflation. Yildirim Akbulut became the head of the Parliament. The coup has been criticised in many Turkish movies, TV series and songs since 1980. This transition to democracy has been criticized by the Turkish scholar Ergun Özbudun as a "textbook case" of a junta's dictating the terms of its departure.[22]. That of September 12, 1980 was the third coup in Turkey in thirty years. A look at Turkey’s long history of military coups Army staged 3 coups between 1960-1980, forced a premier out of power in 1997, and threatened to intervene in 2007 elections The files of 259 people, which had been asked for the death penalty, were sent to the National Assembly. The 12 September 1980 Turkish coup d'état, headed by Chief of the General Staff General Kenan Evren, was the third coup d'état in the history of the Republic after the 1960 coup and the 1971 "Coup by Memorandum", the 1970s were marked by right-wing/left-wing armed conflicts, often at the scale of proxy wars between the United States and the Soviet Union, respectively. They decided to adopt a new constitution that included mechanisms to prevent what they saw as impeding the functioning of democracy. Martial law was announced following the Kahramanmaraş Massacre in 14 of (then) 67 provinces in December 1978. 300 days in which newspapers were not published. He knows it, too. ANKARA- Anadolu Agency Even after four decades, the Sept. 12, 1980 bloody coup still stands as a black stain in Turkish political history. In his book "12 Eylül: saat 04.00" Journalist Mehmet Ali Birand wrote that after the government was overthrown, Henze cabled Washington, saying, "our boys did it. In 1979, Demirel once again became Prime Minister. At the time they were some 1700 Grey Wolves organizations in Turkey, with about 200,000 registered members and a million sympathizers. The coup rounded up members of both the left and right for trial with military tribunals. [27], Following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Washington had lost its main ally in the region, while the Carter doctrine, formulated on 23 January 1980, stated that the United States would use military force if necessary to defend its national interests in the Persian Gulf region. The GDP remained well below those of most Middle Eastern and European countries. The military began discussing a possible coup in late 1979, and in March 1980 a group of generals recommended that they move forward. [8], In 1975 Süleyman Demirel, president of the conservative Justice Party (Turkish language: Adalet Partisi, AP) succeeded Bülent Ecevit, president of the social-democratic Republican People's Party (Turkish language: Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi, CHP) as Prime Minister. The report, which recommended preparing for a coup, was delivered in six months. The Özal government empowered the police force with intelligence capabilities to counter the National Intelligence Organization, which at the time was run by the military. This coup, the third army intervention in 20 years, was generally supported by the public. [17] During 1980–1983, the foreign exchange rate was allowed to float freely. 400 journalists were asked a total of 4000 years’ imprisonment. Since 1968–69, a proportional representation system made it difficult to find any parliamentary majority. On 11 September 1979, General Kenan Evren ordered a hand-written report from full general Haydar Saltık on whether a coup was in order or the government merely needed a stern warning. During the Cold War era, Turkey saw political violence (1976–1980) between far-left, far-right, Islamist militant groups, and the state. But in 1978 Ecevit was able to get to power again with the help of some deputies who had shifted from one party to another. Unprecedented political violence had erupted in Turkey in the late 1970s. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Now playing Turkey Turkish president remembers 1980 military coup victims Sept. 12 military coup detained 650,000 people, executed 50, claimed 299 more lives due to torture, prison conditions 230,000 people were tried in 210,000 lawsuits. The leaders established a 38-member National Unity Committee with Gürsel as chairman. Ankara, January 1989, p. 118-119. On 12 September 1980, ... On 15th of July 2016 a coup d'etat attempt in Turkey was launched by a small group of Turkish military servicemen. Since 1968–69, a proportional representation system had made it difficult for any one party to achieve a parliamentary majority. Following the 1980 coup, the members of the European Community, which Turkey aspired to join, had frozen relations with Ankara. Some alleged in Turkey, after the coup, that General Saltuk had been preparing a more radical, rightist coup, which had been one of the reasons prompting the other generals to act, respecting the hierarchy, and then to include him in the MGK in order to neutralize him.[9]. A total of 1,683,000 people were blacklisted. [8] According to the anti-fascist Searchlight magazine, in 1978 there were 3,319 fascist attacks, in which 831 were killed and 3,121 wounded. [28] Between 1979 and 1982 the OECD countries raised $4 billion in economic aid to Turkey.[29]. The referendum and the elections did not take place in a free and competitive setting. [14], On 7 September 1980, Evren and the four service commanders decided that they would overthrow the civilian government. Yılmaz redoubled Turkey's economic profile, converting towns like Gaziantep from small provincial capitals into mid-sized economic boomtowns, and renewed its orientation toward Europe. [19] In its indictment of the MHP in May 1981, the Turkish military government charged 220 members of the MHP and its affiliates for 694 murders. 15th September 1980: Troops seal off a main road in the Turkish capital Ankara after the military coup led by General Kenan Evren. I talked to him about it. 1980 Turkish coup d'état --The military took power in Turkey after months of violence between leftist and rightist militants nearly brought Turkey to the point of civil war. The MHP used the opportunity to infiltrate state security services, seriously aggravating the low-intensity war that was waging between rival factions.[9]. Numerous agricultural and industrial reforms requested by parts of the middle upper classes were blocked by others. Prosecutors are seeking life sentences against the two retired generals. The economic changes between 1980 and 1983 were credited to Turgut Özal, who was the main person responsible for the economic policy by the Demirel Destined administration since 24 January 1980. His sentence was on appeal at the time of his death. He formed a coalition with the Nationalist Front (Turkish language:Milliyetçi Cephe), Necmettin Erbakan's fundamentalist National Salvation Party (Turkish language:Millî Selamet Partisi, MSP) and Alparslan Türkeş' far right Nationalist Movement Part… 3,854 teachers, 120 lecturers and 47 judges were dismissed. The 85% pre-coup level government involvement in the economy forced a reduction in the relative importance of the state sector. 303 cases were opened for 13 major newspapers. [15], On 21 December, the War Academy generals convened to decide the course of action. Özal supported the IMF, and to this end he forced the resignation of the director of the Central Bank, İsmail Aydınoğlu, who opposed it. They resolved to issue the party leaders (Süleyman Demirel and Bülent Ecevit) a memorandum by way of the president, Fahri Korutürk, which was done on 27 December. ", Tahsin Şahinkaya – then general in charge of the Turkish Air Forces who is said to have travelled to the United States just before the coup, told the US army general was not informed of the upcoming coup and the general was surprised to have been uninformed of the coup after the government was overthrown.[40]. The interests of the industrial bourgeoisie, which held the largest holdings of the country, were opposed by other social classes such as smaller industrialists, traders, rural notables, landlords, whose interests did not always coincide among themselves. "[32] On June 2003 interview to Zaman Henze denied American involvement stating "I did not say to Carter "Our boys did it." On the day of the coup, it was on the verge of collapse, with three digit inflation. Turkey received large sums of economic aid, mainly organized by the OECD, and military aid from NATO, but the USA in particular. The MHP used the opportunity to infiltrate state security services, seriously aggravating the low-intensity war that was waging between rival factions.[10]. [10] Evren and his cohorts realized that Türkeş was a charismatic leader who could challenge their authority using the paramilitary Grey Wolves. The economic changes between 1980 and 1983 were credited to Turgut Özal, who was the main person responsible for the economic policy by the Demirel administration since 24 January 1980. The cause of death of 43 people was announced as "suicide". "Natural death report" for 73 persons was given. One notable victim of the hangings was a 17-year-old Erdal Eren, who said he looked forward to it in order to avoid thinking of the torture he had witnessed. The leaders received the letter a week later. It was transformed into a multi-sector social and economic development program, a sustainable development program, for the 9 million people of the region. In a historic court ruling, General Kenan Evren, aged 96 – for decades the symbolic emodiment of interfering military rule in Turkey – was sentenced … The new constitution brought clear limits and definitions, such as on the rules of election of the president, which was stated as a factor for the coup d'état. [5], For the next three years the Turkish Armed Forces ruled the country through the National Security Council, before democracy was restored with the 1983 Turkish general election. The drastic expansion of the economy during this period was relative to the previous level. They invoked the Kemalist tradition of state secularism and in the unity of the nation, which had already justified the precedent coups, and presented themselves as opposed to communism, fascism, separatism and religious sectarianism.[10]. Turkey: Landmark Trial of 1980 Military Coup Leaders Begins (Apr.