concluded a trial that first began in March 1982, when more than 1,200 leftists were tried for attempting to overthrow the country’s military government. The defendants were alleged members of Dev-Sol, a communist group formed in the late 1970s.

 

Phase one of the trial went on for about 10 years, then the proceedings got bumped to an appellate court. Nothing happened for the next 13 years because someone lost 100 folders of evidence. Eventually, a panel of judges resumed the case and handed down a verdict. Of the original 1,223 defendants, only 39 were convicted. But 13 of the guilty won’t be serving any more time in jail because they’re deceased.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Turkey Finds 39 Leftists Guilty After 28-Year Trial (by Jonathan Head, BBC News)

1980 Turkish Coup Trial Ends (UPI)

Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (Wikipedia)