All parties agree on removal of Kenan Evren’s name from public domains

Duvar English

All political parties in the Turkish parliament have come to an agreement to contact municipal councils across the country and rename all schools, streets, villages, neighborhoods, barracks and districts named after former Turkish army chief and president Kenan Evren.

The issue was brought to the agenda of the parliament by main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy Gürsel Erol. The parties agreed to contact local municipalities individually about this issue.

On Nov. 22, Erol submitted a parliamentary motion seeking to establish a research commission for a detailed analysis to be undertaken regarding the issue of erasing Evren’s name from all public domains. But political party representatives said the establishment of such a commission would lead to a slowdown in the procedures, suggesting that they instead directly contact the municipal councils for this issue to be tackled.

“Sept. 12 [1980] resulted in the closure of the Turkish parliament and arrest of party chairs. Some 650,000 people were detained and 230,000 people stood trial under martial law. But today, there is a district in Ankara with the name of Kenan Evren. This name still exists in schools, barracks and squares. It is not right that Evren’s name lives under any circumstance,” Erol said in the parliament last week, daily Sözcü reported on Nov. 25.

Evren led a 1980 coup that ended years of civil disorder, but his rule unleashed a wave of arrests, torture and extrajudicial killings. Political parties were shut down and Evren went on to serve for seven years as president from 1982.

The coup left Turkey with a constitution drafted by generals and viewed by many to this day as a brake on democratic development in the nation.

Evren was sentenced to life in prison in 2014 for leading the 1980 coup, but sickness spared him from serving time behind bars. One year later, at the age of 97, he died at Ankara’s GATA military hospital.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Group Deputy Chair thanked CHP MP Erol for his suggestion of establishing a research commission, saying: “This suggestion of the CHP is appropriate and right. All of the city councils should strip the names of the streets, neighborhoods and districts linked to Kenan Evren and dedicate them to exemplary people who have a place in our people’s conscience. I thank CHP and call city councils and management to duty.”

İYİ (Good) Party Group Deputy Chair Lütfü Türkkan said he “could not stand” streets and avenues having the name of a coup leader, while the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Group Deputy Deput Chair Levent Bülbül said: “Of course we will not accept the name of Kenan Evren being in public places, so an action should be immediately taken.”