Turkey is currently involved in the trial of other former military leaders for a 1980 coup that led to three years of military rule, during which 50 people were hanged and half a million arrested. Early this month, the Ankara 12th High Criminal Court began the trial [JURIST report] of the last two surviving leaders of the 1980 coup, two retired generals, 94-year-old Kenan Evren [official profile], who held the presidential office for seven years following the military takeover, and 87-year-old former air force commander Tahsin Sahinkaya, who did not appear in court due to ill health. In June, Evren became the first military leader questioned since constitutional immunity was repealed in 2010. The court accepted the indictment against Evren and Sahinkaya in January, after the prosecution charged the two retired generals [JURIST reports] a week earlier. In August, the court issued arrest warrants [JURIST report] for seven generals and admirals relating to allegations that they created an anti-government website in 2009. After being detained for questioning in connection with their alleged coup plot, three high ranking military officials were released by the court, but remained under investigation.