content tagged with 1 may 1977 and impunity

The trial of 98 people, including leaders of DİSK (Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey), mentioned in the 1 May 1977 indictment prepared by the Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office, began at the 2nd High Criminal Court, but...

Tracing the facts and history of this massacre 43 years after it happened sheds light upon the tunnel of darkness in which we now find ourselves. It makes it possible for us to remain steadfast on our path as we seek to establish a land of equality, freedom, peace, and fraternity, that is, a land and a world that put labour first.

How did I get started on this? How did I manage to contact the friends and relatives of those who lost their lives in Taksim 43 years ago? My connections, 27 lives, my age, doors not knocked upon... Impunity, lost files, unanswered applications, autopsy reports...

Although almost half a century has passed, the truth behind the massacre of 1 May 1977 remains in the dark. Who were the people that committed this crime, and why? We shall see the day when life prevails over death!

In 43 years, the parties in power may have changed but the truth behind what happened has still not been brought to light and nothing has changed in terms of the policy of impunity. It is still unclear who opened fire that day. Why?

Süleyman Çelebi, the former Chair of the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK), speaks of his attempts to have 1 May 1977 investigated while he was an MP, but says that each of his proposals was rejected.

Kani Beko, the former Chair of the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK), speaks about the need to try the perpetrators of the 1 May 1977, saying that the stain of these incidents needs to be removed and the killers need to be found.

Fehmi Işıklar, one of the organizers and directors of the 1 May 1977 rally, talks first about demonstrators’ enthusiasm, then the sounds of gunfire and the stampede that followed. He says that the state must find a way to absolve itself of this shame.