2019 Saterocian coup d'etat

2019 Saterocian coup d'etat
Part of The 2019 Saterocian Revolution
Pro-coup soldiers set up military checkpoints in Kolkesburg
Date	19 May 2019
Location	Kolkesburg, Sateroc
Resulted in	Military coup successful • Georg Puoc deposed • 1973 Constitution dissolved • Agreement reached between protestors and military government
Parties to the civil conflict
Government of Sateroc Saterocian Armed Forces
Lead figures
Georg Puoc Paul Charov
Casualties
23 killed

A coup d'etat in Sateroc took place in the early hours of 19 May 2019, when the Saterocian Armed Forces overthrew longtime dictator of the country Georg Puoc following months of popular protests demanding his departure. Led by Air Force commander Paul Charov, the military toppled the Puocist government, seizing the Grand Revolutionary Assembly and arresting Puoc, while also dissolving the constitution and declaring a six-month nationwide state of emergency. In the days following the coup, an agreement was reached between the military and popular civilian leaders in order to form a democratic government, leading to the election of Jonrov Mornes as president in June.

Despite not knowing of the coup at first, civilian protestors supported the coup due to the fact that Puoc had been successfully removed from office by the military. However, celebrations would quickly end and protests would continue after the interim junta continued to arrest civilian demonstrators, beginning late on 19 May and continuing all the way until 28 May, in which the junta would concede and sign a momentous agreement with the civilian organizations, which saw a transitional civilian government come to power. Throughout this period, anywhere from 300,000 to two million civilians protested against the junta in Kolkesburg, with tens of thousands of workers continuing to go on strikes until an agreement was signed, with at least 40 protestors recieving severe injuries from the crackdown.

Over the next week, dozens of influential government officials were arrested, including Georg Puoc, who called the coup an "unforgivable crime" and called on his loyalists to eliminate the mutinous officers and "restore order" to the country. However, these calls were ignored as Puoc had lost most of his supporters amidst the mass protests, and any remaining supporters were quickly jailed by the junta. While the coup was condemned by former government members, a majority of the international community commended the overthrow of Puoc, calling it a step in the right direction towards democracy in Sateroc. These governments refused to open communication channels with the junta until a civilian government was established, however.

In 2020, Puoc was indicted by the government for numerous crimes, however he is still being held by the government and has yet to be charged and jailed.