Life sentence verdict hailed as a victory for democracy
by Daily Sabah
ISTANBULJun 18, 2014 - 12:00 am GMT+3
by Daily Sabah
Jun 18, 2014 12:00 am
Although their pain still lingers years later, families and friends of people who died in detention, were executed by the 1980 coup appreciated the conclusion of a trial that resulted in a guilty verdict.
Mehmet Horuş, one of the lawyers for families who were plaintiffs in the trial, said the verdict convicted not only two men but also the entire coup regime of 1980. "It is good news for Turkey's democracy and for those who fought for democracy and paid a price for it," he said. "The judiciary did what it was supposed to do. Now, we need a political struggle against laws and institutions enacted and set up by the coup regime," he stated. Arif Ali Cangı, another lawyer for the plaintiffs, said, "The Sept. 12 era officially ended today."
Nejat Kangal, the head of a nongovernmental organization of political activists who survived the coup, said their lengthy struggle for the punishment of coup leaders has come to an end. "They were already guilty in public opinion, and the court reaffirmed the people's verdict today," he said. Kangal also handed over a letter written by Ali Aktaş, an activist who was executed by the coup, to her mother after the hearing ended. The letter penned by Aktaş was not delivered to her mother for years, as the coup officials prevented its delivery.
The first reaction from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) was by a lawmaker. Şamil Tayyar tweeted "good news" and said he hoped it would be a lesson for "anyone planning a coup.
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