“Someone should pay 450,000 euros and buy the house and then convert it into a museum dedicated to the military coup of 1980.”This was really a magnificent suggestion. If I had the money, I would not hesitate for a moment before buying Evren’s house. I would convert it into a coup museum as Evin suggested, but I would not restrict the things that would be on display in this museum to the tortures, interrogations, files, labeling or banned publications as the legacy of the coup.
I am not sure where one should start when making a display for Sept. 12. Perhaps we can start with Taksim on May 1, 1977.
There is more before that, but let us take May 1 as its start because it is most sensational of all. The Taksim incidents in which 37 people were killed by unknown assailants who were never discovered must go into that museum. The photos of horror from the Maraş incidents, whose anniversary was yesterday, must be put on display on the wall of this museum.
Likewise, the photos of the Çorum incidents and of the Malatya incidents which were staged after Hamit Fendoğlu and his grandsons were martyred must go into the display items of this museum. I think that the broken eyeglasses of Cahit Tütengil, the necktie Abdi İpekçi was wearing on the day he was murdered, the bloodstained shirt of Kemal Türker and the pen Gün Sazak was carrying must be exhibited.
The real ID card of Erdal Eren, who was hanged after his age was shown to be greater than it really was, will gather all the attention in the museum. The ropes that killed leftist Necdet Adalı, who was hanged despite the fact that the judge opposed the decision, and idealist (ülkücü) Mustafa Pehlivanoğlu, who was executed at the same spot and on the same day just as an act of balance, should be given high visibility in that museum.
Likewise, the whitening hair of Necdet’s mother should occupy a major place in it. To put the tools of torture, the reports of death from torture or medical reports from disability from torture on display is the first to come to mind.
But, in my opinion, Sept. 12 cannot be restricted to these. The military coup of May 27, 1960 as well as the Feb. 28, 1997 post-modern coup, which was the spastic child of Sept. 12, must go into this museum. Newspapers that published the highest number of lies in that period must be exhibited.
Also, memorandums will be the most numerous items on display. Lies, libel, defamation and conspiracies will be among the documents that will be exhibited from this period. Moreover, portraits must be given a place while incompetent but ambitious people must have greater attention. Actually, it would be highly beneficial if a separate museum is opened for the 1990s, but let this suffice.
The museum will have a place for Sept. 12 and Feb. 28, but I am not sure whether the coup attempts of recent years can be given special treatment. It will be very difficult to find a place to display the activities of the Ergenekon defendants. I do not know how the weapons found in İstanbul’s Poyrazköy neighborhood or Ankara’s Zir Valley cannot be spaciously displayed. Of course it is beneficial to exhibit the original of the dirty plan, the Cage Action Plan, the live images of the terrorists attacks the Aktütün and Dağlıca military outposts. Finally, a drawing showing the house of Bülent Arınç should go into this museum.
Sept. 12 has its traces in all coup rumors, coup attempts and action plans that we know of. Indeed, this museum should put on display the last 30 years of Turkey.
