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Witness History: The 1980 Turkey coup

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The 1980 Turkey coup

24/10/2023 GMT

BBC World Service - Witness History, The 1980 Turkey coup

On 12 September 1980, the military took control of Turkey

In 1980, fighting between left and right-wing groups led Turkey's military to take control of the country and detain hundreds of thousands of people.

On 12 September 1980, the army took control in Turkey. 

It was not the first time they had done so. It was the third coup d'état in the history of the Republic of Turkey, the previous having been in 1960 and 1971.  

The coup followed growing street fighting between left and right-wing groups. Politicians were arrested and parliament, political parties and trade unions were dissolved. 

Following the coup at least 50 people were executed and around half a million were detained. Many were tortured and hundreds died in custody. 

In 2011 Jonathan Head spoke to Vice Admiral Isik Biren, who was an official in the defence ministry, and a former student activist, Murat Celikkan, about their different memories of that time. 

(Photo: Portraits of people killed or tortured during the coup displayed in a courthouse in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. Credit: Adem Atlan/ Getty Images)

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