ZEYNEP AKGÜL

Ankara- 41 years ago, on a Friday morning, people living in Turkey heard the announcement of a military coup on the radio. The statement read on the radio was signed by Kenan Evren, former Turkish Chief of Staff, Nurettin Ersin, former commander of Turkish Land Forces, Tahsin Şahinkaya, former commander of the Turkish Air Force, Nejat Tümer, former commander of the Turkish Naval Forces and Sedat Celasun, former General Commander of the Turkish Gendarmerie. The period of detention, arrest, execution, and torture lasted for about nine years.

During the coup, 650,000 people were detained, 1,683,000 people were blacklisted and 50 people were executed. 17-year-old Erdal Eren was among of executed people after being subjected to torture in the Mamak Military Prison. In addition, 171 people died by reason of torture, 230,000 were tried in 210,000 lawsuits, 14,000 were stripped of citizenship, 30,000 went abroad as political refugees, 388,000 were denied a passport, 30,000 were dismissed from their firms because they were suspects, 400 journalists were sentenced to 3,315 years and six months imprisonment, and 31 journalists were imprisoned, 300 journalists were attacked, three journalists were shot dead, 937 films were banned because they were found objectionable, 3,854 teachers, 120 lecturers, and 47 judges were dismissed. According to official data, the number of killed detainees between September 12, 1980 and November 6, 1983, was 183 and five people lost their lives in prison during a hunger strike.

The military coup that took place in Turkey on September 12, 1980, was the beginning of the dark days of Turkey. Ayfer Kantaş is one of those who lived through those dark days. She was taken into custody when she was a student at Hacettepe University. She was held in custody for three months and she was subjected to torture for four years in prison. At that time, a school was turned into prison because there was no place in Mamak Prison. Most women were held in that school. The classes of the school were turned into wards. Ayfer Kantaş was held in one of those classes for three months. After three months, she and several women, so-called “leaders”, were put in a ward called “9^th Ward” in the central heating room. Ayfer Kantaş was held in that ward for four months and then she was taken to Mamak Prison.

We spoke to Ayfer Kantaş about Turkey’s 1980 coup.

What did you face after the announcement of the 1980 coup? Could you tell us what you faced in prison?

On September 12, an operation was launched across Turkey, particularly in Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir. At that time, I was a student at Hacettepe University. At that time, they detained many revolutionists and democrats. We were also detained. They tortured children, young people, elders, and women. I will not tell everything in detail but unbelievable things happened. I am one of those who faced torture. I was taken into custody on December 2, 1980. I was held at the police station for three months, they could hold people in custody for three months.

“They turned the school into prison”

Were you held in Mamak Prison?

There wasn’t place in Mamak Prison so they held women in a school located in Beşevler. They turned the school into prison, the classes into wards. When they took me to the school, I was confused and thought, “Why do they take us here?” We couldn’t go to the bathroom because they locked the doors of the wards. After they counted us every evening at 20.00, they locked the doors. And we couldn’t go to the bathroom until morning. It was also a method of torture. We were held there for about two or three months. Then, we protested against what we faced and we said, “We want a better prison” because there was no bathroom.

“9^th Ward was in the central heating room”

How long were you held in prison?

After three months, they put the people called “leaders” in the 9^th ward in the central heating room. About 100 women were held in the central heating room. At least, we had a toilet there. We were held in that school for about four months. They built additional buildings at Mamak Prison. We were held in C Block and D Block and those blocks were very cold. Every day, we were taken outside and battered. We were told, “You are soldiers” and we were forced to get military training. I was held in Mamak Prison for four years but some of my friends were held there for five, six, or seven years.

“Many people died of cancer”

They forced us to run but we refused that. We told them, “We aren’t soldiers but detainees. We will not do what you ask from us.” I was about to be sentenced to death. If you were a revolutionist, you could be sentenced to death at that time. We were forced to shout, “Everything for our country” but we refused to shout it. Many detainees got sick, many people died of cancer in the prison. I got two types of cancers but I could overcome them due to early diagnosis.

“What is happening now is worse”

Some say, “There is no difference between what happened in 1980 and today”. As a witness of Turkey’s 1980 coup, what would you like to say? Isn’t there any difference?

What is happening now is worse. The laws of the 1980 coup still exist today. We have a more oppressive regime today. Today, people are not free. As a woman, you cannot do anything alone.

“They do whatever they want with their one-man regime”

We have a more oppressive regime today. For instance, a man decided to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention. This practice is worse than the practices during 1980 coup. People are still subjected to torture. They do whatever they want with their one-man regime.

Do you want to tell us anything else about Turkey’s 1980 coup and the current situation in Turkey?

The 1980 military coup caused people to lose many things. At that time, we were young people at the age of 20s and 25s. We were very clever young people. They destroyed the lives of those brilliant people. Despite torture, we are still mentioned with honor. My husband was sentenced to death, later his sentence was turned into a life sentence. I was tried twice. Some of our friends were executed. That time was like that. Today, people are being killed and executed one by one.