Turkish opposition and government discuss trial of military coup leaders

Earlier this week, Deniz Baykal, the leader of Republican People's Party, or CHP, urged the government to lift the interim Article 15 of the Turkish Constitution, which gives immunity to the perpetrators of the military Sept. 12, 1980 coup, to confront the organizers.

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CHP's deputy chairman of parliamentary group, Hakki Suha Okay, visited his AKP counterpart Bekir Bozdag to discuss the issue on Thursday. Bozdag told broadcaster CNNTurk after the meeting that his party will consider the proposal.

 

Okay told at a press conference that they expect the AKP to make its decision soon. "The important thing here is to reach an agreement on this issue. Strengthening democracy lies at the heart of this agreement," he added.

 

"This article protects both the coup and its perpetrators. The Turkish legislative body needs to do what it should [on this issue] at a time when we discuss coup allegations," he said, adding the process to amend the Constitution is a "sincerity test for democracy."

 

Legal experts are divided over whether lifting or amending the interim Article 15 of the Constitution will be enough to try the coup leaders.

 

Ret. Gen. Kenan Evren, 92, who headed the 1980 coup and served as president between 1892-1989, declined to comment on the issue, TV channels reported.

 

Erdogan snubs callÂ

 

Earlier on Thursday Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan snubbed the opposition, saying he expects a more "serious approach" on the issue.

 

Erdogan said his party expected more a serious and sincere approach from the opposition parties in regard to recent debates sparked by Baykal. Â

 

"We do not appreciate such impertinent wisecracks," Erdogan told, in reference to Baykal, at a press conference in the capital Ankara prior to his departure for Albania.

 

"The deputy chairmen of the parliamentary groups of the parties come together and talk (about the issue) seriously," he added.

 

Baykal said the opposition takes a "serious" stance towards the matter, at a press conference held later in the day, during which he criticized Erdogan's remarks.

 

"This is our long-held serious stance as an institution," he said.

 

In the 1980 military coup, around 650,000 people were detained, 230,000 people trialed, 50 executed, and 14,000 stripped of their Turkish citizenship. The military handed power back to civilians in 1983.

 

All political parties, unions and foundations were closed. In addition, some 171 people died in custody, hundreds of thousands of people were tortured, and thousands are still reported missing.

 

Clashes between left and right wing political groups in the 1970s had brought Turkey to the brink of civil war. Thousands of people were killed in the clashes between the leftist bloc that included communists, social democrats and socialists, and the right wingers consisting of hardline nationalists.

 

New evidence that emerged decades after the coup has revealed that many assassinations conducted from both sides in late 1970s, were carried out using the same weapons.Â