33 victims of Sivas Massacre remembered on 33rd anniversary

Alevi institutions and associations gathered in Kadıköy to commemorate the 33 individuals who lost their lives in the Sivas Massacre on July 2, 1993. The procession moved from the Sürayya Opera House to the Kadıköy waterfront, accompanied by cheers and applause. Slogans such as "Justice for Sivas, Justice for All," "The Light of Sivas Will Not Be Extinguished," and "The Day Will Come, The Cycle Will Turn, The Murderers Will Answer to the People" echoed through the streets.

Following the march, a commemoration ceremony took place at the waterfront, featuring bağlama musicians performing deyişler and a semah dance. The event concluded with a press statement from the Pir Sultan Abdal Cultural Association. The association declared, "We have been seeking justice for 33 years," and reiterated its call for the Madımak Hotel, the site of the massacre, to be transformed into a "Museum of Shame."

The statement highlighted that the "decay we are experiencing today is fundamentally rooted in the failure to confront the past." It argued that the darkness engulfing the country is not accidental, but a direct consequence of not reckoning with past massacres and allowing perpetrators to escape punishment. "A country whose past is not illuminated has a dark present and a future of enslavement," the statement read, asserting that true democracy and lasting peace are impossible without addressing these historical injustices.

Gülsem Kaya, Organizing Secretary of the Pir Sultan Abdal Cultural Association, read a statement emphasizing the widespread nature of the commemorations, taking place in numerous cities across Turkey and internationally, from Britain to Australia and Europe. The participants gathered to demand justice and equal citizenship, honoring the "unyielding stance" of their spiritual leaders. The association stressed that they were not only remembering the 33 lives lost but also demanding accountability, confronting the past, and uniting to change the "ill fortune of these lands."

The statement also paid tribute to the families of the victims who have been at the forefront of the struggle for justice, noting that many have passed away without seeing justice or the Madımak Hotel become a museum. The association pledged to uphold their legacy and realize their dreams, as well as those of the 33 victims.