Politics
Prison walls, survivor accounts keep memory of 1980 coup alive in Türkiye
Forty-six years after the Sept. 12, 1980, military coup suspended democracy in Türkiye, the memories of imprisonment, executions and torture remain vivid for survivors, while Ankara’s former Ulucanlar Prison stands as a stark reminder of one of the darkest chapters in the country’s political history.
Built in 1925 as the first prison of the newly founded Republic of Türkiye, Ulucanlar witnessed some of the country’s most turbulent political periods during its 81 years of operation. Politicians, journalists, writers and activists from across the political spectrum were held behind its walls.
The prison was closed in 2006 and transferred to Ankara’s Altındağ Municipality for restoration three years later. It reopened as a museum on June 15, 2011, preserving prison cells, inmates’ personal belongings and accounts of those who were incarcerated or executed there.
The Sept. 12 coup began when Chief of General Staff Gen. Kenan Evren announced the military takeover in a radio address. The National Security Council, composed of Evren and the commanders of the armed forces, assumed control of the country, dissolved Parliament and ushered in a period of sweeping political repression.
Hundreds of people faced death sentences in military courts established after the coup. Left-wing activist Necdet Adalı and nationalist Mustafa Pehlivanoğlu were executed in October 1980.
During the period, about 650,000 people were detained, 230,000 were tried in 210,000 cases and prosecutors sought the death penalty for more than 7,000 people.
For those who survived the prisons of the era, the statistics are accompanied by memories of abuse that have remained vivid for decades.
Muhittin Ilhan, a former provincial head of the nationalist Ülkü Ocakları (Idealists’ Clubs) in Kahramanmaraş, said he was detained in 1978 and subjected to severe abuse before eventually being transferred to Ankara’s Mamak Military Prison.
“If they gave us three meals a day, they beat us at least six times a day,” Ilhan recalled.
He said he weighed 65 kilograms (143 pounds) when he entered Mamak but fell to 41 kilograms within 105 days because of the abuse he endured.
Ilhan said prisoners from opposing political movements were sometimes placed in the same wards under harsh conditions. He was later transferred to Adana, where he said clashes among inmates added another layer of danger to prison life.
Similar accounts have emerged from former prisoners now living in the central province of Kırıkkale.
Izzet Yıldız, 68, said he was detained on Oct. 13 following the coup and taken first to a military facility and then to a detention center in Ankara.
“We experienced torture beyond anything a person could imagine,” Yıldız said, recalling that about 30 people were held in a 16-square-meter room and forced to sleep on concrete.
Yıldız noted detainees were subjected to torture methods including suspension by their arms and electric shocks. He spent 24 months in prison before giving his testimony and was eventually acquitted.
“If my turn to testify had come after 24 days, maybe I would have stayed for 24 days,” he said. “But it came after 24 months, so I spent 24 months in prison.”
Retired teacher Mustafa Hulusi Ulusan, 70, said the memories of Mamak remain difficult to describe even decades later.
“There are some things that are experienced but cannot be explained,” Ulusan said. “Mamak was like that for us.”
Ulusan said detainees were sometimes forced to lie face down outside in cold weather while listening to the screams of prisoners being tortured inside interrogation rooms.
“Listening to their screams was torture in itself,” he added.
He spent 18 months in prison and recalled overcrowded wards where as many as 85 inmates stayed together, sometimes with three people sharing a single bed. During winter, prisoners burned old clothes, boots and shoes because coal supplies were insufficient for heating.
“I was 24 years old,” Ulusan said. “Even today, when I think about it, I get chills.”
Another former prisoner, Irfan Toptaş, 68, said he spent six years at Mamak while being tried in a case involving the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).
Toptaş said he was detained on Sept. 22, 1980, and subjected to abuse both in Kırıkkale and Ankara. He recalled dogs being set on detainees and said collective prayers were prohibited. During periods of fasting, prisoners saved morning food for iftar and evening meals for sahur.
Toptaş said he later learned from the indictment that prosecutors were seeking the death penalty against him. He spent much of his final three years behind bars in isolation before eventually being released.
More than four decades later, the former inmates’ accounts and the preserved cells of Ulucanlar serve as reminders of the human cost of the military takeover.
As Türkiye marks the 46th anniversary of the Sept. 12 coup, survivors say the passage of time has done little to erase the memories of a period when democratic rule was suspended, and hundreds of thousands were swept into detention, trials and prisons.
Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi joined his counterparts from the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) for a meeting Thursday in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana. Çiftçi lauded growing cooperation among the countries and expressed hope that the Turkic world would have its own law enforcement body similar to Interpol.
Çiftçi said they had proposed establishing a new institutional mechanism among OTS countries to combat crime, adding that a “Council for Combating Crime” would provide a strong umbrella for cooperation in various areas.
Noting that the first meeting on the council’s founding agreement was held in July, Çiftçi said the mechanism would also enable joint efforts to identify wanted individuals.
He said the proposed structure could eventually evolve into a more comprehensive institution. “We believe that, like EUROPOL and ASEANAPOL, this mechanism could eventually become TURKPOL (the Turkic States Law Enforcement Cooperation Agency),” he said.
Çiftçi said they aim to sign the founding agreement at the next meeting once negotiations are completed.
Originally launched as the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States by Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, the group evolved into the OTS at its landmark Istanbul summit in November 2021. The rebranding was widely interpreted as the start of a new era for the Turkic integration process, signaling an ambition to translate cultural bonds into geopolitical clout.
Türkiye will assume the rotating presidency of the OTS at a summit it will host in October.
Çiftçi noted that the world is going through a period marked by growing regional and global conflicts, continued attacks in Gaza and across the region, and serious challenges to international law, emphasizing the importance of security cooperation among OTS countries.
The minister said cooperation between the interior ministries has been further strengthened with each meeting, adding that after the recent meeting in Baku, cooperation had been enhanced in a number of areas, particularly law enforcement training, combating crime and migration management.
Noting that legal texts signed during this process had also strengthened the legal framework for joint efforts, Çiftçi said the “Police Academies Platform of the Turkic States,” established last year, would make significant contributions to academic and professional capacity.
Türkiye continues to strengthen NATO’s readiness and interoperability while expanding military training and security cooperation with allies and partners, the Defense Ministry said Thursday.
Rear Adm. Zeki Aktürk, spokesperson for the Defense Ministry, said the Turkish Armed Forces’ Multinational Joint Warfare Center Command contributes to NATO’s high readiness through advanced training, simulation and command-and-control capabilities.
Speaking at the ministry’s weekly press briefing at the command center, Aktürk said the facility operates in line with NATO standards and is equipped with modern communications and information systems fully integrated into the alliance’s network.
“With its experience and expertise, our command contributes to supporting NATO’s high level of readiness and continues its efforts to enhance interoperability among allies in line with the changing security environment, evolving concepts and growing requirements,” Aktürk said.
The center hosted the NATO Communicators Conference from Sept. 7-10, bringing together 542 communications specialists from 42 countries.
Aktürk said discussions focused on strengthening NATO’s strategic communications capabilities, increasing resilience against disinformation and improving coordination among allies. Participants also addressed changes in the information environment, developments in the cognitive domain and the effective use of artificial intelligence tools.
Türkiye this year marks the 74th anniversary of its accession to NATO and has the second-largest army in the alliance. It is the only country in NATO’s “southern flank” with a sizable military power and a gateway to the Middle East and wider Asia. Security of the Black Sea also largely depends on Türkiye, especially amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which threatens maritime security.
The country currently contributes nearly 3,000 personnel, along with various weapons, vehicles and military platforms, to ongoing NATO missions, operations and initiatives.
Türkiye also hosts critical NATO facilities, including the Allied Land Command, located in the western city of Izmir, and the Rapid Deployable Corps, based in Istanbul and the capital, Ankara, hosts the Center of Excellence for Defense Against Terrorism (COE-DAT).
The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) this year joined NATO’s Steadfast Dart exercise in Germany on Feb. 12-24, held to improve the operational readiness of the Allied Reaction Force. The army contributed naval, land and air elements, including the Anadolu Task Group, and deployed a joint force of more than 2,000 personnel to Germany.
Moreover, the spokesperson said Türkiye’s armed forces were also continuing counterterrorism and border security operations.
Two more members of the PKK terrorist group surrendered over the past week, while Turkish security forces apprehended 790 people attempting to cross the country’s borders illegally and prevented another 887 from crossing, he said.
Since Jan. 1, authorities have apprehended 10,445 people attempting illegal border crossings and prevented 49,394 others, according to the ministry.
Libya cooperation
Aktürk said Türkiye was continuing to contribute to regional and global security through bilateral relations and international missions, particularly within NATO.
He said 362 Libyan military personnel from the country’s eastern and western regions had successfully completed basic commando training conducted by Türkiye’s 40th Commando Training Brigade Command.
Türkiye attaches “great importance” to Libya’s unity, territorial integrity and lasting stability and will continue developing relations with both eastern and western Libya under the goal of “One Libya, One Army,” the ministry noted.
Gaza, Lebanon
Turning to developments in the Middle East, Aktürk accused Israel of systematically continuing attacks on Lebanon and Gaza and forcing civilians to flee their homes.
He said more than 4,300 people had been killed and over 12,300 wounded in Israeli attacks in Lebanon since March 2.
In Palestine, more than 1,300 Palestinians have been killed since the latest cease-fire took effect, while the overall death toll since October 2023 has reached about 75,000, he said.
Citing the World Food Program, Aktürk said two-thirds of Gaza’s population was facing critical or emergency levels of hunger.
“We once again remind the international community that it has a shared responsibility to take concrete and effective measures against Israel’s expansionist and genocidal approach,” he said.
NATO drills continue
Aktürk also said the Turkish Armed Forces were maintaining extensive training and exercise programs to sustain operational readiness.
Türkiye is participating in several multinational exercises in September, including REPMUS unmanned maritime systems exercises in Portugal, Phoenix Express maritime security drills in Tunisia, Triton mine warfare exercises in Bulgaria and NATO’s Bold Machina maritime special operations exercise in Portugal.
Turkish forces are also scheduled to participate in the Endless Brotherhood-V special forces exercise in Uzbekistan and the Burebista and Eastern Shield air and drone defense exercises in Romania.
Aktürk said Türkiye would also deploy two F-16 fighter jets and a tanker aircraft for a Sept. 14 training flight in NATO airspace over Romania.
The flight will be conducted as part of NATO Allied Air Command’s Flexible Deterrence Options under the alliance’s enhanced vigilance activities.
Justice Minister Akın Gürlek detailed his tenure since February at a meeting with court reporters in Istanbul on Wednesday. In remarks published on Thursday, Gürlek explained how his ministry has stepped up work on unsolved cases and has fought the perception of impunity in the public regarding cases where suspects are considered to have gotten away with their crimes.
Speaking to judicial reporters from Istanbul at the Justice Ministry in Ankara, Gürlek said the Cold Case Crimes Investigation Department was established to assist prosecutors in reopening and reviewing long-unsolved cases.
The unit provides coordination, information sharing and technical support to investigations conducted by chief public prosecutors’ offices, while judicial assessments and decisions remain under the authority of prosecutors, he noted.
“We have achieved good results,” Gürlek said. “It has been four months since the unit was established, and 40 cases involving 46 victims have been solved.”
Gürlek underlined the effort demonstrated that crimes could be solved even years later as investigative techniques and available evidence evolve, adding that resolving long-standing cases could strengthen public confidence in the justice system.
The minister also addressed the investigation into the 2009 helicopter crash that killed Great Unity Party (BBP) founder Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu and five others.
Gürlek said the investigation remains under the authority of the relevant chief public prosecutor’s office, with the cold case unit assisting through coordination and case reviews. He declined to speculate on whether additional people could become subjects of the investigation, saying such decisions depended on whether sufficient legal grounds for suspicion emerged.
The minister also discussed an investigation into the 2011 death in prison of former National Intelligence Organization (MIT) officer Kaşif Kozinoğlu.
He said the Silivri Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation after considering previous complaints and reports concerning Kozinoğlu’s death. Statements from a former prison employee who is currently abroad and faces legal proceedings over alleged links to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) later prompted additional investigative steps.
Investigators are examining several possible explanations for Kozinoğlu’s death, including poisoning, a heart attack, the effects of medication or natural causes, he added.
Gürlek cautioned against describing the death as a killing before the investigation is completed, saying all possibilities were being examined using forensic and scientific evidence.
The minister also said the ministry was continuing efforts against illegal betting, narcotics, money laundering, street gangs and online gambling, describing the government’s approach to organized crime as uncompromising.
Ahbap, Kuriş, FETÖ cases
Gürlek said investigators working on the Ahbap Association case had identified about $245 million (TL 11.88 billion) collected in connection with the Ahbap, while prosecutors were also reviewing complaints from people who said they had lent money, transferred property or received promissory notes.
“According to the findings in the Ahbap investigation, around $245 million was collected,” Gürlek said. “There are also complainants who say they lent money, transferred real estate or received promissory notes.”
He said prosecutors were still compiling and examining the allegations, including claims that some promissory notes were signed with commitments to repay money but the payments were never made.
Gürlek also addressed an investigation by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office into an alleged criminal organization led by Alihan Kuriş, saying Türkiye had requested judicial assistance from Germany.
International judicial cooperation mechanisms are being used to determine the sources of certain transactions, the people involved and who had knowledge of them, Gürlek said.
“There are serious allegations that religious sentiments were exploited to provide a privileged and luxurious lifestyle for some people at the top,” he stressed, adding that prosecutors were examining the financial relationships and alleged criminal activity.
The minister emphasized Türkiye would continue operations against the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), which Ankara holds responsible for the failed July 15, 2016, coup attempt.
“The fight against FETÖ continues without compromise,” Gürlek said, adding that chief public prosecutors’ offices were conducting investigations into alleged new networks.
Gürlek said Türkiye was also pursuing extradition requests for suspects abroad and updating files when new evidence, documents or testimony emerged.
‘Terror-free Türkiye’ process
Turning to the government’s “terror-free Türkiye” initiative, Gürlek described Parliament’s approval of a 12-article framework law with about 467 votes as a significant step.
He said the legislation had not yet entered into force and that four subcommittees had been established as part of the process. Meetings were also being held under the leadership of Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, Gürlek said.
The law’s implementation depends on the terrorist organization fully laying down its arms and authorities verifying that the disarmament has taken place, he said.
Gürlek added that the process was being monitored by the National Defense Ministry and Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT).
Özgür Özel, chairperson of the New Party (YP), which he founded after parting ways with the Republican People’s Party (CHP), lashed out at Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the incumbent chair of his former party. In an interview with broadcaster Koza TV on Tuesday, Özel, who was photographed warmly shaking hands with Kılıçdaroğlu at an event on Sept. 2, put away pleasantries as he talked about the latter at length.
Özel dismissed Kılıçdaroğlu’s earlier remarks about a potential future alliance and said the YP would not ally with “an illegitimate administration.”
In an interview on Tuesday, Kılıçdaroğlu had said that his party may ally with the YP in the next election. The veteran politician, who was branded a “traitor” by YP supporters after he was reinstated to his post by a court ruling, told Euronews that they were open to supporting the YP’s presidential candidate, former Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, if he is eligible to run in the next election.
“Twenty-four hours is a very long time in politics,” Kılıçdaroğlu said, quoting former President Süleyman Demirel. “Political relations should be based on the country’s interests. Politics have no room for hostility,” he said regarding the possibility of an alliance with the YP, whose members fiercely resisted Kılıçdaroğlu’s return to the CHP chair.
“We stand with the opposition, but only with legitimate ones,” Özel was quoted as saying Wednesday. He branded the Kılıçdaroğlu administration an “appointed apparatus of the government.” Özel lost his post last May when a court ruled to annul his chairpersonship in connection with a criminal case in which Özel’s associates are accused of bribing delegates to vote for him against Kılıçdaroğlu. Özel, who resisted the evacuation of CHP headquarters after Kılıçdaroğlu was reinstated three years after his defeat in the intra-party election, has portrayed the verdict as politically motivated. Although he stopped short of doing so, Özel’s supporters in the CHP have openly branded Kılıçdaroğlu a “traitor” for accepting the reinstatement.
Özel said he was open to supporting other opposition parties but underlined that they were all “legitimate actors.”
“If I accept (Kılıçdaroğlu’s alliance proposal), it will give an air of legitimacy to (the current CHP administration),” he said.
He said his handshake with Kılıçdaroğlu was spontaneous and that Kılıçdaroğlu rose from his seat when he saw him and extended his hand in a way he could not refuse. He claimed that the CHP administration under Kılıçdaroğlu had made several proposals to him before May’s court verdict.
“They offered me the post of parliamentary group chair until the next intra-party election. I refused because people would think that we were involved in a plot that would play into the hands of the government,” he said. “I won’t take even one step with a butlan administration,” Özel said, using the Turkish word for absolute nullification.
Kastellorizo, or Megisti, known as Meis in Turkish, a Greek island about 1 nautical mile off the Turkish coast, will allow Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to observe Türkiye with the naked eye and test the waters for room to improve relations with Türkiye and the potential for tensions in the Aegean Sea.
The two countries have been at odds over Aegean rights in recent months, with tensions escalating over Türkiye’s declaration of marine parks, including one near Kaş opposite Kastellorizo, and Mitsotakis’ warning that Greece may consider expanding its territorial waters in a move that could challenge Türkiye’s maritime borders.
“I think they’d hear us from Greece if we shout from Kaş,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told journalists earlier this month when asked how Türkiye would respond to Greece’s arming of the Aegean islands. At the time, it was unclear whether Mitsotakis would attend events marking the island’s liberation from Italian occupation in 1943 during World War II.
Although Türkiye and Greece are pursuing rapprochement after decades of hostilities, Greece’s expanding alliances, particularly with Türkiye’s rivals, and threatening rhetoric by Greek politicians have the potential to undermine efforts to improve ties. In parallel with Türkiye’s strengthening of its defense systems and establishment of new alliances, such as the Mecca pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, Greece seeks to gain the upper hand. This was the case with a major defense deal signed with Türkiye’s archrival Israel last month. Mitsotakis, meanwhile, is conducting diplomacy with both rivals and friends of Türkiye. He has stepped up diplomatic contacts with Egypt and France and is expected to visit Saudi Arabia in October. He was in Egypt this week, where he held talks with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi alongside Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides.
The Aegean Sea is at the heart of the rivalry between Ankara and Athens. Türkiye opposes any Greek military deployment on the eastern Aegean islands, arguing that they should remain demilitarized under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne and the 1947 Paris Peace Treaty. Greece, however, cites a “threat” from Türkiye and says it has the right under international law to defend its sovereignty. The two countries have recently been at odds over the declaration of marine parks intended to preserve marine biodiversity, with both accusing each other of attempting to violate their maritime borders.
“Greece should know that Türkiye has no intention of grabbing the territory of any other country, but Türkiye also has no intention of allowing anyone to violate its rights. Ignoring international treaties will not benefit anyone. Anyone who interprets Türkiye’s level-headed approach based on common sense as weakness is making a grave mistake. Greece should reverse course and stop arming demilitarized islands. History is a good guide for those who can learn from the past,” Erdoğan said in a recent interview, reminding Greece of the troubled past between the two countries.
On Wednesday, Türkiye marked the anniversary of the final push against Greek invaders more than a century ago during the Great Offensive, which ended with Greek soldiers withdrawing to vessels in the Aegean from Izmir, north of Kaş.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) spokesman Ömer Çelik called Thursday for an immediate end to the Russia-Ukraine war and a return to negotiations in Istanbul, warning that the conflict has become a grinding war of attrition with mounting risks for the Black Sea region.
Speaking at a news conference, Çelik said neither side had achieved a development capable of fundamentally changing the course of the war, while both Russia and Ukraine continued to inflict heavy losses on each other through tactical gains.
“War is bad in every respect,” Çelik said, pointing first to the loss of human life and warning of the possibility that the conflict could spread across a wider region. He also cited debates within NATO and the European Union over the war and concerns about the potential use of increasingly advanced weapons.
Çelik particularly condemned attacks on Turkish-operated civilian vessels in the Black Sea, saying eight had been targeted by Russia and 35 by Ukraine since the conflict began. Türkiye continues to convey its warnings and closely monitor the situation at the highest level, he added.
“This cycle must end as soon as possible, and a table must be set up in Istanbul so that a conclusion can finally be reached,” Çelik said.
Turning to Türkiye’s “terror-free Türkiye” initiative, Çelik said authorities were continuing their work on disarmament and maintaining intensive contacts with Iraqi counterparts. He stressed that developments inside Türkiye and across the wider region were closely interconnected, making cooperation with neighboring governments essential.
On Syria, Çelik said Ankara was closely following the integration process following the dissolution of the SDF. He stressed that dissolution and disarmament processes must translate into concrete developments on the ground rather than remain rhetorical commitments.
He said such steps were crucial to building a stable future for all communities in Syria, including Turkmens, Kurds, Arabs, Sunnis, Shiites, Alawites and Yazidis.
Çelik also sharply criticized the Israeli government over its policies toward Palestinians and across the region, arguing that the Netanyahu government remained a major source of regional instability.
He condemned Israel’s plans for new settlements, saying their strategic locations threatened to make a two-state solution impossible. Çelik also welcomed stronger opposition from Britain and the EU to Israeli actions.
He rejected the term “settler” for Israelis occupying Palestinian land, arguing they should instead be described as “occupiers” and accusing Israel of pursuing policies aimed at taking Palestinian territory.
Çelik also warned that the Netanyahu government could become increasingly aggressive as elections in Israel approach, calling on the international community to take concrete action to prevent what he described as an expanding cycle of violence stretching from Lebanon to Syria.
Addressing regional diplomacy, Çelik said the recently launched Mecca Agreement was not intended as an alternative to Türkiye’s existing security alliances. Instead, he described it as an initiative designed to produce more practical mechanisms for maintaining regional peace.
The initiative is open to all countries in the region, he said, adding that its principles would take time to develop but could eventually contribute to regional stability.
Çelik also addressed a recent meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş, describing it as a “natural” meeting.
He said Yavaş had requested an appointment with Erdoğan and discussed Ankara’s problems and planned investments with the president. Çelik noted that Erdoğan regularly receives mayors when his schedule permits and remains particularly interested in infrastructure and projects aimed at improving living standards in Turkish cities.
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