1980 coup leaders to testify online

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

A local court in Ankara ruled on Friday that Kenan Evren and Tahsin Şahinkaya, two living members of the military junta that staged the infamous Sept. 12, 1980 coup are are currently under investigation, shall give their testimony via an audio and visual conference system. A delegated judge will witness their testimonies at a hospital. The next trial will take place Nov. 20.

The ruling by Ankara’s 12th Heavy Penal Court at the sixth hearing of the Sept. 12, 1980 coup case came in response to a demand by the prosecutor that a medical report indicated tat Evren and Şahinkaya were unable to attend court hearings due to critical health conditions.

Forensic medicine report

Prepared by the Forensic Medical Institution the report was presented at the fifth hearing after much anticipation.The report found the two former generals were not in the appropriate health to stand before the court. The two figures’ health conditions would turn life-threatening with doctors unable to save them, the report said. Former Chief of General Staff Evren, who served as president between 1982 and 1989, is 95 years old while Şahinkaya, a former air force commander, is 87 years old.The ruling by the Ankara court came only two days after the 32nd anniversary of the coup on Sept. 12. A crowded group held a protest against the coup in front of the court house on Sept 14.