Kenan Evren initiated the 1980 military coup in Turkey, effectively dissolving the existing parliament and establishing the National Security Council to seize control of the state. As the seventh president of the country, he presided over a period characterized by widespread legal restructuring and the mass detention of citizens, remaining a polarizing figure until his death in 2015.
Military Career and Rise
Born in 1917 in Kula, Evren pursued a military education, attending Maltepe Military High School, the Turkish Military Academy, and the Army War Institute. He graduated from the School of Artillery and Missiles and later served with the Turkish Brigade in Korea from 1958 to 1959. Promoted to general in 1964, he eventually became the Chief of the Turkish General Staff in 1978. During his ascent, he held various leadership roles, including command of the Counter-Guerrilla force.
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Take the IQ test →The 1980 Coup
By 1980, Turkey faced extreme political instability marked by violent clashes between far-left and far-right factions. Citing the collapse of public security and radical ideological riots as justification, the military leadership seized power in September. Evren suspended the constitution, abolished the legislature, and implemented the National Security Council to govern the nation, aiming to suppress political dissent through force and state control.
Presidency and Institutional Reform
Evren assumed the presidency in 1982 after a national referendum approved a new constitution, which he argued was necessary for stability. His administration enforced the Turkish-Islamic Synthesis to promote nationalist cohesion while suppressing minority identities, including the erasure of Kurdish cultural recognition. He oversaw the detention of over 600,000 individuals, widespread media censorship, and dozens of executions, including that of Erdal Eren.
Legal Prosecution and Death
Following his retirement to Marmaris, where he engaged in painting, Evren faced increasing scrutiny. In 2012, Turkish courts formally charged him and General Tahsin Şahinkaya for their roles in the 1980 coup. In 2014, he was sentenced to life imprisonment and stripped of his military rank, a decision under appeal when he died in Ankara in 2015. He was buried at the Turkish State Cemetery.
Fast facts
- Born: 1917, Kula
- Died: 2015, Ankara
- President of Turkey: 1980–1989
- Military Rank: General
- Education: Turkish Military Academy
- Awards: Gold Olympic Order (1987), Atatürk International Peace Prize (1990)
- Last president born in the Ottoman Empire
- Final burial place: Turkish State Cemetery
Questions readers ask
What was the main outcome of Evren's 1982 constitution?
It centralized power within the presidency, provided the military with a permanent role in governance, and strictly limited civil liberties.
Did Evren face legal consequences for the 1980 coup?
Yes. In 2014, a court sentenced him to life imprisonment and demoted his military rank to private, though he died before the appeal process concluded.
Achievements
- President of Turkey (1980–1989)
- Chief of the Turkish General Staff (1978–1983)
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
- Atatürk International Peace Prize — 1990
- Educated at Maltepe Military High School and Turkish Military Academy
