Alevis Demand Justice, Mark 22Nd Anniversary Of Madımak Massacre

Turkey's Alevi community is marking the 22nd anniversary of the Madımak massacre, in which 33 Alevi artists and intellectuals were killed in a fire set by an angry mob at the Madımak Hotel in Sivas in 1993, saying that justice has not been served with a court ruling to drop the trial linked to the massacre because the statute of limitations to produce evidence expired in 2012.

Along with nationwide commemoration ceremonies to take place on Thursday to remember the victims of the Madımak massacre, in which 37 people -- 33 Alevis, plus two hotel workers and two assailants -- were killed, the main ceremony will take place in front of the Madımak Hotel.

Hidayet Yıldırım, a representative of the Alevi Pir Sultan Abdal Association, made a statement in Sivas on Wednesday in which he said Alevis do not recognize the decision concerning the statute of limitations and demand that the perpetrators be brought to justice.

"Our hearts once again are full of grief due to the 22nd anniversary of one of the most violent and painful massacres in Anatolian history. The suffering in Madımak is the common pain of the people of Turkey and the world. It went down in history as a black stain on humanity. Turning the hotel into a 'museum of shame' and giving it over to the Pir Sultan Abdal Culture Association and the families of the victims might be one step to stop the bleeding wounds of the Alevis," Yıldırım noted.

Several civil society groups across the country held memorial services, as the Federation of Associations from Sivas called for common sense during the ceremonies, saying any violent act that has the potential to instigate sectarian-based conflicts should be avoided.

In July 1993, an angry mob broke through police barricades after the Friday prayer and set the hotel on fire, where Alevi artists, musicians and authors had assembled to participate in the festival of Pir Sultan Abdal, a 16th-century Alevi poet, causing most of them to be killed.

When the Ankara 11th High Criminal Court decided to drop the accusations against seven suspects on the pretext of the statute of limitations and released all seven suspects who were being tried following a 21-year trial, the Alevi community felt that they were once again subject to discrimination at the hands of the state. The proceedings started out with 125 suspects when the trial began on Oct. 21, 1993, at the Ankara 1st State Security Court (DGM), with eight suspects having fled the country.

The court's verdict enhanced the resentment among the Alevis due to the next steps taken by the former Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government and its former leader, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, with a number of lawyers who represented those accused in the massacre case occupying key positions in the AK Party.

Hayati Yazıcı, an attorney who vigorously defended suspects Muhsin Erbaş, Adem Kozu, Eren Ceylan and Faruk Sarıkaya in the Madımak case, in short order became first a parliamentary deputy and later customs and trade minister in the former AK Party government.

Well known for his slander and profanity, Zeyid Aslan, who defended Ethem Ceylan and Yusuf Şimşek on charges related to the Madımak massacre, was also considered worthy of representing the Turkish people in Parliament and he became an AK Party Tokat deputy in 2002.

Also, Erdoğan's public comments in 2012 expressing satisfaction with the verdict to drop the trial increased the resentment and feelings of being discriminated against in the Alevi community.

Speaking to Today's Zaman, former Alevi Bektaşi Federation President Selahattin Özel said the Alevi community's demands have constantly fallen on deaf ears.

"For instance, Erdoğan's public comments welcoming the ruling on the Madımak massacre case created a perception among the Alevis that he had taken the side of the murderers. If a conflict did not break out between the Alevis and the Sunni community following Erdoğan's hateful speech, it is because the two communities acted with the common sense to avoid this. Also, the statute of limitations is out of the question when offenses against humanity are in question. Alevis still want those perpetrators to be punished and for justice to be served," Özel noted.

Regarding this year's commemoration, Özel stressed that a ceremony will be held in front of the hotel as it has been in years past and that they will offer their condolences to the families of the victims.

"Our efforts to turn the hotel into a museum of human rights continue," Özel added.

Gov't broke ties with Alevis after turning back on their demands

In addition to seeking justice for the Madımak case ruling, the primary demands of Alevis, such as the recognition of cemevis as houses of worship and the abolition of obligatory courses on religious in schools, have been ignored by the former AK Party government despite it having launched an initiative called an "Alevi opening" to seek solutions to the problems of the Alevi community.

However, Özel does not think the AK Party, which allegedly supports extremist elements both at home and abroad, will be able to grant the rights that Alevis have been demanding for decades.

"After the government-led Alevi initiative yielded no result, [Prime Minister Ahmet] Davutoğlu invited a group of Alevi leaders to discuss resuming talks on Alevi houses of worship, compulsory religion lessons and turning the hotel into a museum in 2014. It was a secret meeting. But it also came to nothing. In truth, a political party that has a mentality which supports [the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant] ISIL cannot respond to the demands from the Alevi community," Özel said.

CHP deputies ask about Madımak massacre case

Meanwhile, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputies Şenal Sarıhan and Gamze Akkuş İlgezdi submitted two separate parliamentary questions to Davutoğlu and Justice Minister Kenan İpek asking about the results of the Madımak massacre case and the suspects.

In his question to Davutoğlu, Sarıhan asked about the eight fugitives in the massacre case and pointed out that there has not been enough information regarding the ongoing legal processes about them, adding, "This situation gives rise to the idea that justice has not been served."

İlgezdi, in her question, asked whether the release of the perpetrators of the massacre caused any twinges of conscience for Davutoğlu and his party members, and also wanted to know what the Davutoğlu government thinks about turning the hotel into a "museum of shame." She also requested a retrial of the massacre suspects.

(Cihan/Today's Zaman)