Coup heads reject commission

ANKARA

Kenan Evren and Tahsin Şahinkaya, the two surviving members of the five-man junta that staged the 1980 coup, notified Parliament’s Coup Inquiry Commission yesterday of their decision not to answer the body’s questions.

The Parliament’s Coup Inquiry Commission had asked for appointments with Evren and Şahinkaya concerning the Sept. 12, 1980, coup, but the two sent letters to the commission through their lawyers notifying it of their refusal. The letters outlined how Evren and Şahinkaya were currently under investigation, meaning “they would not respond affirmatively to the commission’s invitation and make a statement.” The 95-year-old Evren, who was chief of the General Staff during the coup and president until 1989, and Tahsin Şahinkaya, 87, are both currently being tried as part of a trial against the last remaining leaders of the 1980 coup.