The Ones Massacred in Madımak 26 Years Ago Commemorated in Sivas
Click to read the article in Turkish
It has been 26 years since 35 people lost their lives in Sivas massacre. A ceremony has been held in Sivas to commemorate the deceased.
Organized by the Pir Sultan Abdal Cultural Association (PSAKD), the commemoration has also been attended by the Hacı Bektaşi Veli Association, Alevi Cultural Association (AKD), Alevi Bektashi Federation (ABF), Divriği Village Association, Sivas Democracy Platform as well as representatives from political parties, non-governmental organizations and the families of the ones who lost their lives in Madımak Hotel.
Attending the commemoration, Şenal Sarıhan, one of the lawyers of Sivas case, has shared the following information with bianet:
'Silent walk to Madımak Hotel'
"Gathering in front of the Sivas Branch of the PSAKD, the crowd started walking towards the Madımak Hotel, where the massacre took place.
"Walking mostly in silence, the group was lead by the families of the ones who lost their lives in Sivas massacre.
'We did not enter the museum'
"We reached the front side of Madımak Hotel, where the massacre took place and which is called a 'museum' today. But, we did not enter the hotel.
"Because the names of the attackers who died in the massacre are also cited in the museum. In other words, the names of the murderers and the victims are exhibited together.
"These two people were killed with police bullets. They did not burn to death. I wish that the police had caught and interrogated them without killing.
"However, families are reacting against the exhibition of their names side by side with our people who died in the fire.
"People come to the Madımak and lay carnations there not because it is a museum, but because people were massacred there."
'No statute of limitations for crimes against humanity'
Concluding his remarks, Sarıhan has underlined, "The participating families, mass organizations, unionists, professional organizations, democratic mass organizations coming from different cities show that the people of Turkey do not want to forget this massacre by any means."
"The statements made there underlined that Sivas massacre is a crime against humanity and crimes against humanity are not within the scope of statute of limitations", Sarıhan has emphasized further and added, "The request for turning Madımak into a proper museum was repeated."
About Sivas Massacre and its judicial process
26 years ago on July 2, 37 people, including 33 artists and writers, 2 hotels workers and 2 attackers, lost their lives in the fire started at Madımak Hotel in Sivas. 33 intellectuals were in Sivas to attend the Pir Sultan Abdal festivities. 65 people, 14 of whom were police officers, got wounded in the fire.
124 people were arrested in relation with the fire. In the seven-year trial process, 33 people sentenced to death and 85 people were given prison sentences of 2 to 15 years. 37 defendants were acquitted. The death sentences of 33 people were converted to aggravated life sentences.
On March 13, 2012, the Ankara 11th Heavy Penal Court dropped the charges of the Sivas Massacre trial in line with the prosecutor's demand to apply the statute of limitations to the case.
As the 9th Penal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals upheld the verdict on violation of statute of limitations, attorney Şenal Sarıhan took the case to the Constitutional Court in 2014. However, the court has not yet announced its judgement. In response, lawyer Sarıhan appealed to the Constitutional Court regarding the long judicial processes.
The ones who lost their lives in Sivas massacre
Muhibe Akarsu – (35 years old, guest), Muhlis Akarsu – (45 years old, artist), Gülender Akça – (25 years old, artist), Metin Altıok – (52 years old, poet and writer), Ahmet Alan – (22 years old, artist), Mehmet Atay – (25 years old, journalist), Sehergül Ateş – (30 years old, artist), Behçet Aysan – (44 years old, poet), Erdal Ayrancı – (35 years old, director), Asım Bezirci – (66 years old, researcher and writer), Belkıs Çakır - (18 years old, artist), Serpil Canik –(19 years old, artist), Muammer Çiçek – (26 years old, actor), Nesimi Çimen – (67 years old, poet and artist), Carina Cuanna – (23 years old, journalist from the Netherlands), Serkan Doğan – (19 years old, artist), Hasret Gültekin– (23 years old, poet and artist), Murat Gündüz - (22 years old, artist), Gülsüm Karababa –(22 years old, artist), Uğur Kaynar – (37 years old, poet), Asaf Koçak – (35 years old, cartoonist), Koray Kaya – (12 years old, child), Menekşe Kaya – (17 years old, artist), Handan Metin – (20 years old, artist), Sait Metin – (23 years old, artist), Huriye Özkan – (22 years old, artist), Yeşim Özkan – (20 years old, artist), Ahmet Öztürk – (21 years old, hotel employee), Ahmet Özyurt – (21 years old, artist), Nurcan Şahin – (18 years old, artist), Özlem Şahin – (17 years old, artist), Asuman Sivri – (16 years old, artist), Yasemin Sivri – (19 years old, artist), Edibe Sulari – (40 years old, artist), İnci Türk – (22 years old, artist), Kenan Yılmaz – (21 years old, hotel employee).
(EKN/SD)
* Photograph: Ramazan Kaya - Sivas/AA