Turkey ex-president Evren dies aged 97

Evren seized power in a pre-dawn assault on
September 12, 1980, and went on to rule for the
next nine years [AFP]
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Turkish former president Kenan Evren, convicted
last year for his key role in the country's bloody
1980 coup, died in the capital Ankara, the
state-run Anatolia news agency reported. He
was 97.
Evren had received treatment at the GATA
military hospital since 2012 but his condition
turned critical on Saturday when he was taken
out of an intensive care unit and attached to a
respirator.
His lawyers and family were summoned to the
hospital on Saturday, Anatolia said.
The former president was sentenced to life in
prison last June along with former air force
commander Tahsin Sahinkaya, 90, for their roles
in the putsch 35 years ago.
The two were the only surviving members of the
junta at the time of the trial.
As head of the armed forces, Evren seized
power in a pre-dawn assault on September 12,
1980, and went on to rule for the next nine
years.