Category: Coup

Former South Korean Military Dictator Chun Doo-Hwan Dies at 90

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA—Former South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan, whose iron-fisted rule of the country following a 1979 military coup sparked massive democracy protests, died on Tuesday at the age of 90, his former press aide said. A former military commander, Chun presided over the 1980 Gwangju army massacre of pro-democracy demonstrators, a crime for which…


Sudan Arrests 3 Coup Critics as Pressure Mounts on Military

CAIRO—Sudanese security forces detained three prominent pro-democracy figures overnight, their relatives and other activists said Wednesday, as internal and international pressure mounted on the country’s military following its coup. The arrests came as protests denouncing Monday’s takeover continued in the capital of Khartoum and elsewhere, and many businesses shut in response to calls for strikes….


Mass Protest in Khartoum Against Apparent Coup

Thousands of people flooded the streets of Sudanese capital Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman to protest an apparent military takeover. Military forces arrested Sudan’s acting prime minister and senior government officials, disrupted Internet access, and blocked bridges in the capital, the country’s information ministry said, describing the actions as a coup. Monday’s apparent…


Army Colonel on Guinean TV Says Government Dissolved, Borders Shut

CONAKRY, Guinea—A Guinean army colonel seized control of state television Sunday and declared that President Alpha Conde’s government had been dissolved in the West African nation, an announcement that came after hours of heavy gunfire near the presidential palace. The dramatic developments Sunday bore all the hallmarks of a West African coup d’etat. After seizing…


US Says Burma Junta’s Election Plan Shows Need for ASEAN to Step up Efforts

WASHINGTON—The plan by Burma’s ruling generals to hold elections in two years shows they are stalling for time and the need for Southeast Asian countries to step up pressure on them, a senior State Department official said on Monday. “It’s clear that the Burmese junta is just stalling for time and wants to keep prolonging…


ASEAN Leaders Tell Burma Coup General to End Killings

JAKARTA, Indonesia—Southeast Asian leaders demanded an immediate end to killings and the release of political detainees in Burma in an emergency summit Saturday with its top general and coup leader who, according to Malaysia’s prime minister, did not reject them outright. The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations also told Senior Gen. Min…


Turkey Sentences Dozens to Life Terms Over 2016 Failed Coup

ANKARA, Turkey—A Turkish court sentenced dozens of people, including former soldiers attached to the presidential guard regiment, to life imprisonment on Wednesday over their involvement in the 2016 failed coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. A total of 497 defendants had been on trial since 2017 for attempting…


Southern California Newlyweds Document Violence by Military in Burma

A pair of newlyweds based in Southern California who were trapped for weeks in Burma (also known as Myanmar) following the recent military coup say they documented violent attacks against unarmed protesters as they waited to escape the country. Michael Ghilezan and his wife, Nant, had only been married for 10 days when the military…


Burmese Americans Protest Military Coup With California Rally

STANTON, Calif.—Stanton is home to the largest Burmese American community in Orange County, California. Over 500 people gathered at Stanton City Hall on March 20 to raise awareness about the military coup in Burma, also known as Myanmar. More than 250 have been killed and thousands arrested amid protests against the coup, which began Feb….


At Least 18 Killed in Burma on Bloodiest Day of Protests Against Coup

Myanmar police fired on protesters around the country on Sunday in the bloodiest day of weeks of demonstrations against a military coup.