Sivas Massacre: When radical Islamists in Turkey burnt 35 Alevi followers

The day was June 2, 1993. 28 years in the past, a bunch of 35 folks was burnt alive by radical Islamists, belonging to the Sunni sect of Islam, in Turkey. The solely mistake that the deceased dedicated was that they have been followers of Alevism. Each yr, 1000’s of individuals collect within the metropolis of Sivas to recollect those who perished in considered one of Turkey’s deadliest massacres, the Sivas Massacre.
The followers of Alevism, additionally referred to as Alevis, represent about 10-15% of the Muslims in Turkey. Unlike the bulk Sunni sect, Alevis adhere to the teachings of Haji Bektash Veli who espoused the teachings of Ali (a central determine in Shia sect). Given their distinct practices from the bulk sect, they have been topic to widespread resentment in Turkey.
Nevertheless, a number of Alevi intellectuals had determined to collect on the Hotel Madimak (Otel Madımak) on July 2, 1993, in Sivas to commemorate the lifetime of the poet and spiritual chief Pir Sultan Abdal. The convention had a particular invitee, within the type of Aziz Nesin, who tried to introduce the guide ‘The Satanic Verses’ within the nation. As such, the occasion drew the eye of radical Islamists from the very begin. Nesin, a comic, was unpopular among the many hardliners for his work in opposition to non secular fundamentalism.
Prior to the occasion, flyers and leaflets have been handed out, thereby making certain sufficient time and planning for the novel Islamists to put siege. With Alevi poets comparable to Hasret Gültekin and Metin Altıok on the convention, it was anticipated to be an ideal hit. However, the plan was quickly disrupted by a frenzied mob of radical Islamists. Following the conclusion of the Friday Namaaz (prayers), 1000’s of Sunni Muslims marched within the course of the lodge. They broke via the police barricades and gheraoed the lodge premises from all sides.

(Video Courtesy: Youtube/Ihlas News company)Harrowing visuals of the fateful day present how a big mob surrounded the lodge from all sides and set it ablaze, amidst chants of ‘Allahu Akbar’. The human defend fashioned on all sides meant that the trapped Alevi intellectuals couldn’t escape. The ordeal lasted for over 8 hours, throughout which neither the police nor the Fire Department intervened. By the time the authorities acted, most of them died to smoke inhalation and burns.
However, Aziz Nesin managed to flee the wrath of fireplace utilizing a ladder. When the firefighters realised that he was alive, they tried to assault him. He survived to inform the story and died two years later in a coronary heart assault. The incident was condemned by the secular part of the society and led to a rising concern in regards to the rising Islamism within the nation.
The trial of the case started on October 11, 1993, with a complete of 190 accused. On November 28, 1997, the State Security Court discovered 33 accused responsible and condemned them to demise. However, Turkey abolished the demise penalty in 2002 and as such, their punishment was commuted to life sentences. The accused have been awarded 35 life sentences, one for every of the victims killed by them.
In January final yr, Turkish President Erdogan commuted the aggravated life sentence of one of many convicts, Ahmet Turan Kılıç, on well being grounds. The 87-year-old was allowed to stroll scot-free by Erodgan, identified to be an Islamist sympathiser. According to the critics of the Sivas trial, the actual perpetrator of the crime is the Turkish deep state that had been pitting Sunnis in opposition to Alevis for political beneficial properties.
A memorial made for the victims of Sivas bloodbath
Audit report finds Turkish govt chargeable for the bloodbath
In July 2014, the State Audit Board (DDK) of Turkey introduced a report highlighting the negligence of the authorities in stopping the bloodbath. It had squarely blamed the Turkish authorities for the arson at Hotel Madimak (Otel Madımak) and the delay within the prosecution of the accused. DDK stated, “Despite the obvious social crisis developing (in Sivas) … the incident was caused after serious negligence and failures of the governor’s office to take preventive measures such as the cancelation of the event, the dispersal of the crowd, the evacuation of the participants from the hotel, or the implementation of a curfew.”
“For the (responsibilities) of its administrative and political organs, all the state dignitaries and their approach were just as responsible as the behaviors that caused the perception of provocation in the Sunni collective memory…The incidents that took place in Sivas … resulted in the death of 35 people inside a hotel by mobs of people who were out of control, who had lost their sense, and who acted with feelings of hate … and should be defined as a ‘massacre,” it emphasised.
The report additionally discovered that no public officers have been investigated through the trial and that the Ankara court docket had dropped the case, citing statute of limitations. The audit staff concluded, “Unfortunately, due to the lack of any efficient judicial or administrative investigation against public officials, the [lack] of a perception of political responsibility, as well as our insufficient democratic standards, everyone preferred the convenience of pinning the crime on the mobs and society.” There have been rising calls for that the now-defunct Hotel Madimak now be transformed right into a ‘museum of shame’.