In the statement the HDP said: "40 years have passed since the military coup on 12 September. This coup, in which the will of the people was usurped, the norms of democracy and human rights were crushed, the country's administration was seized by force, had such a great impact that consequences are still felt today.”

Underlining how the current government is following in the tradition of the generals, the statement said: "After coming to power in 2002, the AKP government has not lived up to its promise and in fact did not held to account the generals who carried out the September 12 coup, and changed the 1980 coup Constitution and its institutions in line with its political agenda and aims. The AKP, which maintains its power with the power it derives from the coup Constitution and its institutions. This government is deepening the coup mentality by allying with the dark structures in the corridors of the state today. September 12 is not only the name of a coup, but also the name of the authoritarian understanding of the past coming into the present.”

The statement said: “On the 40th anniversary of the 12 September coup, we condemn the coup mentality and respectfully commemorate our citizens who lost their lives. Our struggle against coups, fascist regimes and one-man power will continue today and tomorrow as it has continued in the past. The way to stand against the coup mechanism in the country is to constitutionally guarantee the existence of different languages, cultures, identities and beliefs co-existing in the country, and to make a democratic, freedom-based, ecological and social Constitution."