Turkey's 1980 coup facts

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

Hürriyet file photo

The 1980 military coup was launched “to bring peace to a polarized society where thousands of people were being killed on the streets,” according to the coup generals and their supporters.

The results, however, were devastating:

• The Turkish Parliament was dissolved, the Constitution was revoked, all political parties were shut down and their assets were seized.

• 650,000 people were taken into custody

• 230,000 people were put on trial

• 1,683,000 people were blacklisted

• Military prosecutors demanded the death penalty for 7,000 people

• 517 people received the death penalty  

• 50 people were hanged

• The military rule revoked the citizenships of more than 14,000 people

• 388,000 citizens were denied Turkish passports

• 30,000 people fled Turkey to seek refuge abroad

• 299 inmates died in prisons due to "indeterminate" reasons

• 14 inmates died in hunger strikes

• 171 people died under torture

• 3 journalists were killed

• 4,000 years of prison time was requested for 400 journalists

• 31 journalists were jailed

• Newspapers could not print for 300 days

• 39 tons of newspapers and periodicals were destroyed

• 937 movies were banned from screening