Gazi Massacre commemorated on 29th anniversary
In İstanbul's Sultangazi district, an commemorative event was organized on the 29th anniversary of the massacre that occurred on March 12, 1995, in Gazi Neighborhood.
The commemoration, organized by the March 12 Platform, was attended by the relatives of those who lost their lives in the Gazi and Ümraniye massacres, representatives of Alevi organizations, People's Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Istanbul Deputy Celal Fırat, DEM Party Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) Co-Mayor candidates Meral Danış Beştaş and Murat Çepni, Emek Party (EMEP) Istanbul Deputy İskender Bayhan, and numerous political parties and civil society organizations.
The crowd gathered in front of Gazi Education and Culture Foundation (Cemevi) and marched towards Hüseyin Altın Park.
According to MA's report, the marching crowd, chanting slogans, left carnations in Hüseyin Altın Park for those who lost their lives.
"Killers disappeared without being held accountable"
Later, Erkan Şimşek, the brother of Dilek Şimşek, who was killed in the massacre, made a statement.
Şimşek, stating that despite 29 years passing since the massacre, "their pain is still the same," said, "The people of Gazi knew who was provoking and orchestrating it. How did the killers, in a place like Gazi where police patrols are always intense, manage to disappear without being held accountable? The people of Gazi knew the explanation for this. Therefore, their anger overflowed, and it started to flow towards Gazi Police Station."
"A sham trial was opened, killers were not punished"
Şimşek said that after the massacre, a "sham trial" was conducted, and continued as follows: "In the incident that dominated the country's agenda for days, it was clear who the perpetrators were, but the killers tried in the sham trial were not punished.
Only police officer Adem Albayrak, among the killer police officers, was sentenced to three and a half years for killing four people, and Mehmet Gündoğdu was sentenced to one year and eight months for killing two people. Despite this massacre in Gazi, then-Prime Minister Tansu Çiller, Minister of the Interior Nahit Menteşe, General Director of Police-Head of the Intelligence Department Hanife Avcı, General Director of Police Mehmet Ağar, Governor of Istanbul Hayri Kozakçıoğlu, Istanbul Chief of Police Necdet Menzir, and their hitmen are responsible and should be punished."
After the statement, the crowd walked to the coffeehouse that was shot on March 12, 1995, and left carnations where the massacre took place.
Then, the crowd walked to Gazi Cemetery and commemorated those who lost their lives at their graves.
What happened in Gazi Neighborhood?
On March 12, 1995, three cafes and a patisserie in Gazi Neighborhood were shot at from a car. When the people who wanted to protest the deaths and march to the police station were shot at, 17 people died. The attacks also extended to Ümraniye 1 Mayıs Neighborhood, where five people lost their lives due to the shots fired at the people. According to official records, 300 people were injured in both districts.
After the Gazi massacre, a case was opened against 20 police officers at Eyüp 2nd Heavy Penal Court, but the case was transferred to Trabzon Heavy Penal Court "for security reasons." The trial concluded in November 2001, after visiting three cities.
Police officer Ahmet Albayrak was sentenced to 3 years and 24 months in prison with a temporary deprivation decision from public services, with a reduction according to Article 50 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) for killing four people. Mehmet Gündoğan also received 1 year and 8 months in prison for killing one person and a ban from public services for 3 months.
Both of their sentences were deferred according to the Law No. 4616. 18 police officers were acquitted. The police officers who received sentences returned to duty shortly after the trial.
The relatives of the victims took the case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The court found that Turkey acted contrary to the provisions of Article 2 on the right to life and Article 13 on the closure of national remedies under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Turkey was sentenced to compensation.