Two Surviving Coup Leaders On Trial In Turkey

Turkey's landmark trial of the two surviving leaders of the 1980 military coup has begun, more than three decades after the army seized power.

The country's 94-year-old former general Kenan Evren, who as military chief of staff led the coup, and then the country for seven years, and his co-conspirator Tahsin Sahinkaya, 86, are charged with ousting the civilian government on September 12, 1980.

Hundreds of thousands of people were arrested, 50 were executed, dozens more were tortured to death and tens of thousands were exiled during the years of military rule after the coup, Turkey's third in 20 years.

The men, who are both absent from the trial due to their poor health, face life imprisonment if convicted.

Meanwhile a committee of MPs has backed Turkey to join the EU, but warned issues around human rights and the conflict over Cyprus must be resolved first.

The Foreign Affairs Select Committee visited Turkey and found itself "struck by the country's economic dynamism and international ambition".

But chairman Richard Ottaway said elements of the Turkish judicial system were troubling.

The stalemate in Cyprus has effectively left the country's process of joining the EU "stuck", the committee report adds.

Despite the problems, the cross-party select committee endorsed the UK's continuing relationship with Turkey.

Launching the report, Mr Ottaway said: "When we visited Turkey, like many visitors we were struck by the country's economic dynamism and international ambition.

"But we were also taken aback by much of what we heard about Turkish legal proceedings and practices, which did not seem to us to ensure the kinds of human rights standards that we would want to see from a country that we want to see inside the EU.

"We are pleased that the Turkish government seems to be aware of the shortcomings and to be taking some steps to improve matters."