Turkey to prosecute two organizers of 1980 coup

Jan 10, 2012, 13:09 GMT

Istanbul - The two surviving military leaders behind Turkey's 1980 military coup will be prosecuted for crimes against the state, Turkey's state news agency Anatolian reported on Tuesday.

Former military chief Kenan Evren and air force head Tahsin Sahinkaya are accused of 'wholly or partly overthrowing the Turkish constitution and parliament,' for their role in the September 12, 1980 military coup that continues to divide public opinion in Turkey.

If found guilty, both men could face life imprisonment.

Evren, 94, and Sahinkaya, 87, have not been arrested. The two men are said to be too frail to survive a trial that could last several years.

After the coup, Evren appointed himself as Turkish president from 1980 to 1989.

For many, the coup was necessary to end rising political violence between leftists, rightists and Islamist factions, which killed some 5,000 people.

However, thousands were arrested, tortured and stripped of their rights to participate in politics under a period of direct military rule that ended in 1983.

Those imprisoned and banned from politics include President Abdullah Gul and former president Sulemyman Demirel, who returned to politics in 1987 after a referendum reversed measures taken against political activists.