Istanbul: Kenan Evren, led the 1980 coup in Turkey that came to symbolise the military’s domination of national politics, has died at the age of 97. These were the scenes some 35 years ago when he led the coup that changed Turkey’s political landscape for decades.
It resulted in widespread torture, arrests and deaths. Evren was given a life sentence almost a year ago for the coup. He didn’t spend any time in jail because of his age and ill-health.
The court also stripped him of his military rank and demoted him to private.
The sentence was a key landmark in efforts by Tayyip Erdogan, then prime minister, to tame a military that’s forced four governments from power in as many decades.
Evren’s never expressed any regret for the coup.
He said it had saved the nation from anarchy after street fighting by militant left- and right-wingers that killed thousands.
Ventuno