22nd Anniversary of Sivas Massacre
On July 2, 1993, 33 intellectuals including artists, writers and musicians who gathered to celebrate 16th century Alevi poet Pir Sultan Abdal were killed in a mob’s arson in Otel Madımak of Sivas province in Turkey. 33 intellectuals will be commemorated today in Sivas.
Some of the main streets and avenues of Sivas will be closed to traffic due to commemoration. Alevi Organizations and many non-governmental organizations will gather in front of former Belediye Street, once Otel Madımak was located in and a commemoration ceremony will be held.
Vice Chairman of Republican People’s Party (CHP) Veli Ağbaba and CHP Leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu announced they would participate in commemoration with other 60 deputies.
Co-Chair Figen Yüksekdağ of Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) made a written statement and noticed she and a group of deputies from HDP would attend ceremony.
What happened in Case Sivas Massacre?
124 people were arrested related to Sivas Massacre. During a seven-year trial period, 33 people received a death sentence and 85 defendants were handed down prison sentences of between 2 and 15 years.
37 defendants were acquitted. Sentences of 33 defendants were converted into aggravated life sentences.
In November 2004, the Ankara 11th High Criminal Court released nine convicts according to the new Turkish Criminal Law who had previously been sentenced to imprisonment of 7.5 years each under allegations of "attempting to change the constitutional order by force".
Another three convicts of the Sivas trial were released before by benefiting from provisions of the Turkish Criminal Law applied in their favor.
On March 13, 2012 defendants Cafer Erçakmak and Yılmaz Bağ died and their cases were dropped; cases of Şevket Erdoğan, Köksal Koçak, İhsan Çakmak, Hakan Karaca and Necmi Karaömeroğlu were prescribed.
The Case Sivas Massacre which left 33 intellectuals, two hotel employees and two perpetrators dead, in spite of the remaining five defendants was dropped by Court Board due to prescription.
Lawyer Şenal Sarıhan appealed the case to Supreme Court. (EKN/BD)
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