Ankara court to repeatedly ask General Staff for Sept.12 coup’s full roadmap

ANKARA

An Ankara court trying the two surviving leaders of the Sept. 12, 1980, coup has ruled to repeatedly ask the General Staff for undelivered documents that are part of the Bayrak (Flag) Operation Directive, the military’s roadmap for staging the coup.

The 14th hearing of the Sept. 12, 1980, coup case continued on June 21 at the Ankara 12th High Criminal Court in the absence of the two ailing defendants.

The chief judge, Süleyman İnce, notified that the “Bayrak (Flag) Operation Directive,” which was requested from the General Staff, reached the court.

The court drew attention to a description within the documents sent to the court as the Bayrak Operation Directive which basically said “it is not put.” The parts concerning the “Civilian Affairs Coordination Group” and “the MGK [National Security Council] Secretariat-General Personnel” were absent in the directive, the court said and ruled to send a warrant to the General Staff for the delivery of those particular documents.

During the 11th hearing held in November, the court had ruled to question the General Staff and the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) about the “Bayrak (Flag) Operation Directive.”

The next hearing of the case is scheduled for Sept. 27. The prosecutor, who has been recently appointed to this case, is expected to prepare his final opinion by that date. If so, the two surviving leaders of the coup, then-Chief of General Staff Gen. Kenan Evren, 95, and then-Commander of Air Forces Tahsin Şahinkaya, 87, will present their final defenses to the court on Sept. 27.

The two defendants will give their testimony via an audio and visual conference after the prosecutor presents his final opinion.