Discrimination allegations against Alevi minority following earthquakes on parliamentary agenda

Demolition work in Pazarcık in the aftermath of the quakes. (Photo: AA/File)

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A Green Left Party deputy has brought forward claims of discrimination against the Alevi religious minority residing in the epicenter of the February 6 earthquakes, Pazarcık, Maraş.

In a parliamentary question aimed at ministers of environment, urbanization and climate change and interior, MP Ayten Kordu emphasized that six months after the earthquakes, essential needs of the Alevi community in the region are still unmet.

Furthermore, Kordu pointed out that debris from demolished buildings has been dumped in agricultural areas and regions where Alevi villages are situated. She highlighted that the reconstruction efforts have overlooked the Alevi villages.

The parliamentary question also included statements from Hasan Hüseyin Değirmenci, the chair of the Alevi Cultural Associations (AKD) Pazarcık Branch.

"Authorities do not respond to calls"

Değirmenci previously stated, "There is a mentality of 'We serve where we get votes,' and discrimination. This discrimination is felt even more intensely during earthquakes. Currently, our cemevi [Alevi place of worship] provides its services in a container. The services offered within the prefab area are insufficient."

"We have been without water for some time, and when it comes, it is very limited. We don't even have the means to hold a cem ceremony without a new cemevi. Six months after the earthquake, the Cengiz Topel District of Pazarcık in Maraş is still facing a severe water shortage."

"After the earthquake, especially during the removal of debris, water interruptions reached a critical level due to burst pipes. The residents of the neighborhood cannot bathe or wash clothes. However, authorities are not even responding to the neighborhood's calls, let alone taking steps to solve the problem."

MP Kordu posed the question to Minister of Environment Özhaseki, "Is it accurate that none of the villages demolished or under construction in Pazarcık following the earthquake are Alevi villages?"

To Minister of Interior Yerlikaya, she directed the following questions: "What is the reason for not addressing the water and hygiene needs of the Cemevi? What is the reason for not meeting the water needs of the Cengiz Topel District in Pazarcık, six months after the earthquake?"

The earthquakes

Two powerful earthquakes of 7.7 and 7.6 magnitudes hit the southern city of Maraş on February 6, affecting 11 provinces. The quakes caused over 220,000 buildings to collapse or sustain severe damage, killing more than 50,000 people and displacing over 1.6 million. The government has not updated the death toll since mid-April.

(RT/VK)