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Kenan Evren
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Kenan Evren
Ahmet Kenan Evren (17 July 1917 – 9 May 2015) was a Turkish military officer who served as the president of Turkey from 1982 to 1989. He assumed the post by leading the 1980 military coup.
On 18 June 2014, a Turkish court sentenced him to life imprisonment and demotion of his military rank, (down to private from army general) for leading the military coup in 1980. He was found guilty of obstructing democracy by deposing the prime minister Süleyman Demirel and of abolishing the parliament, senate and the constitution. This sentence was under appeal at the time of his death.
Ahmet Kenan Evren was born in Alaşehir, Manisa Province. His father, who was an imam, was of Albanian origins. He was originally from the town of Preševo and immigrated to Turkey to live with his uncle, who was in Istanbul. Kenan Evren's mother was from a Turkish Bulgarian background. After going to elementary school and middle school in Manisa, Balıkesir and Istanbul, he attended military high school in Maltepe, Ankara. In 1938, he graduated from army school and in 1949 from military academy as a staff officer.
From 1958 to 1959, he served in the Turkish Brigade in Korea. In 1964, he was promoted to general. Evren served at various posts as Army Chief. He was the commander of Operation Gladio's Turkish branch; the Counter-Guerrilla. The Counter-Guerrilla was an anti-communist "stay-behind" guerrilla force set up with the support of NATO. He became Chief of General Staff in March 1978. He was selected by then Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit for not being a member of any political group inside the Turkish Military
The years leading to the coup were characterized as a fierce struggle between the far-right and the far-left. Hoping to see a communist revolution, the leftist militants rioted in the streets; on the other hand, the right-wing nationalist militants fought back the left-wing revolutionaries and provoked religious arousal. Universities had taken sides and each became headquarters for either the leftists or the rightists. The chaotic situation created by far-left and far-right groups had destroyed public security in the country. Communist and neo-fascist groups tried to keep even the streets under their control, beating or killing anyone who was not one of them. Finally, an anti-secularist rally organised by Islamists in Konya on 6 September 1980 was the last straw.
With the coup came the National Security Council as the ruling body. The council of 1980 was composed of the commanders Kenan Evren, the Chief of Staff and President of the State. The parliament was dissolved. On a speech in Muş in 1984, about the execution of Erdal Eren, a communist militant alleged 17-year-old but according to official records born in 1961 who was accused of killing a Turkish soldier, he said "Now, after I catch him, I will put him on trial, and then I will not execute him, I will take care of him for life. I will feed that traitor who took a gun to these Mehmetçiks who shed their blood for this homeland for years. Would you agree to that?!"
After the coup, Kenan Evren was elected as President of Turkey on 7 November 1982 with the 91.37% approval of the new constitution that was submitted to a controversial referendum, replacing the older constitution which, according to him, had liberties too "luxurious" for Turkey.
Kenan Evren, after leading the 1980 military coup in Turkey, used a combination of brutal repression, ideological indoctrination, and legal restructuring to instill obedience in the population. He oversaw mass arrests of over 600,000 people, widespread torture, and dozens of executions, creating a climate of fear. Political parties, unions, and dissenting voices were silenced, while media and education were tightly controlled to promote the military’s nationalist and conservative ideology, particularly the "Turkish-Islamic Synthesis" which blended Sunni Islam with Turkish nationalism to foster obedience. A new 1982 constitution centralized power in the presidency (which Evren assumed), gave the military a lasting role in governance, and enforced loyalty to the state as a legal and educational principle. Through this system of fear, ideological control, and institutional redesign, Evren aimed to create a disciplined and obedient citizenry loyal to the military-led order.
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Kenan Evren
Ahmet Kenan Evren (17 July 1917 – 9 May 2015) was a Turkish military officer who served as the president of Turkey from 1982 to 1989. He assumed the post by leading the 1980 military coup.
On 18 June 2014, a Turkish court sentenced him to life imprisonment and demotion of his military rank, (down to private from army general) for leading the military coup in 1980. He was found guilty of obstructing democracy by deposing the prime minister Süleyman Demirel and of abolishing the parliament, senate and the constitution. This sentence was under appeal at the time of his death.
Ahmet Kenan Evren was born in Alaşehir, Manisa Province. His father, who was an imam, was of Albanian origins. He was originally from the town of Preševo and immigrated to Turkey to live with his uncle, who was in Istanbul. Kenan Evren's mother was from a Turkish Bulgarian background. After going to elementary school and middle school in Manisa, Balıkesir and Istanbul, he attended military high school in Maltepe, Ankara. In 1938, he graduated from army school and in 1949 from military academy as a staff officer.
From 1958 to 1959, he served in the Turkish Brigade in Korea. In 1964, he was promoted to general. Evren served at various posts as Army Chief. He was the commander of Operation Gladio's Turkish branch; the Counter-Guerrilla. The Counter-Guerrilla was an anti-communist "stay-behind" guerrilla force set up with the support of NATO. He became Chief of General Staff in March 1978. He was selected by then Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit for not being a member of any political group inside the Turkish Military
The years leading to the coup were characterized as a fierce struggle between the far-right and the far-left. Hoping to see a communist revolution, the leftist militants rioted in the streets; on the other hand, the right-wing nationalist militants fought back the left-wing revolutionaries and provoked religious arousal. Universities had taken sides and each became headquarters for either the leftists or the rightists. The chaotic situation created by far-left and far-right groups had destroyed public security in the country. Communist and neo-fascist groups tried to keep even the streets under their control, beating or killing anyone who was not one of them. Finally, an anti-secularist rally organised by Islamists in Konya on 6 September 1980 was the last straw.
With the coup came the National Security Council as the ruling body. The council of 1980 was composed of the commanders Kenan Evren, the Chief of Staff and President of the State. The parliament was dissolved. On a speech in Muş in 1984, about the execution of Erdal Eren, a communist militant alleged 17-year-old but according to official records born in 1961 who was accused of killing a Turkish soldier, he said "Now, after I catch him, I will put him on trial, and then I will not execute him, I will take care of him for life. I will feed that traitor who took a gun to these Mehmetçiks who shed their blood for this homeland for years. Would you agree to that?!"
After the coup, Kenan Evren was elected as President of Turkey on 7 November 1982 with the 91.37% approval of the new constitution that was submitted to a controversial referendum, replacing the older constitution which, according to him, had liberties too "luxurious" for Turkey.
Kenan Evren, after leading the 1980 military coup in Turkey, used a combination of brutal repression, ideological indoctrination, and legal restructuring to instill obedience in the population. He oversaw mass arrests of over 600,000 people, widespread torture, and dozens of executions, creating a climate of fear. Political parties, unions, and dissenting voices were silenced, while media and education were tightly controlled to promote the military’s nationalist and conservative ideology, particularly the "Turkish-Islamic Synthesis" which blended Sunni Islam with Turkish nationalism to foster obedience. A new 1982 constitution centralized power in the presidency (which Evren assumed), gave the military a lasting role in governance, and enforced loyalty to the state as a legal and educational principle. Through this system of fear, ideological control, and institutional redesign, Evren aimed to create a disciplined and obedient citizenry loyal to the military-led order.
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