On September 12, 1980, the military took control of Turkey. The witnesses of the military coup, which still persists in memories even after forty years, drew attention to the fact that the current crackdowns are not different from those of that period, and only certain methods have changed.

According to official data released after the coup, 1.683.000 people were blacklisted, 650.000 people were detained, 14 prisoners lost their lives during hunger strikes, 171 people died during the interrogations and tortures in prison, and 49 people were sentenced to execution by the martial law courts.

However, it is frequently suggested that the number of deaths was much higher in contrast with the official announcements.