Rights restored 1980 military coup victims

According to the new law, the rights of people who were released after being convicted of crimes committed prior to Dec. 31, 1987 will be restored.

After the 1980 military coup, thousands of people known as the "1978 generation" were arrested, tried at military courts, detained for years and tortured. Their right to be elected to political office were permanently revoked, and they were ineligible to work as civil servants due to their criminal records.

Eyup Fatsa, deputy chairman of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) parliamentary group, said, "This law does not confer privileges on these people but rather returns the rights that were once taken away."

Mehmet Ziya Yergok of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) stated that with this law both parties aimed to eliminate the continuing victimization of one segment of society since the military coup of 1980.

"This law will contribute in to social and legal peace in Turkey," stated Yergok.