Madımak: Some fires continue to burn, says İzmir Bar Association

On the 33rd anniversary of the Madımak Massacre, the İzmir Bar Association issued a statement remembering the 33 intellectuals, artists, and workers who lost their lives. The association began its statement by quoting poet Ataol Behramoğlu, referencing his words about living with courage even in a place of fire.

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On July 2, 1993, 33 intellectuals, artists, and workers were massacred at the Sivas Madımak Hotel as a result of a reactionary siege. The hatred organized by reactionary forces turned into a massacre to which the state remained a spectator.

The statement detailed the events of July 2, 1993, when 33 individuals were killed at the Madımak Hotel in Sivas as a result of a "reactionary siege." The association characterized the incident as a "massacre organized by reactionary forces, to which the state remained a spectator." They asserted that the hope for an equal and free country, and the dream of coexistence, were extinguished that day. Thirty-three years later, the Madımak case remains an "unclosed file," an "organized crime," and a persistent evil.

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Thirty-three years later, Madımak is still an unclosed file, an organized crime, and stands before us as evil.

The İzmir Bar Association emphasized that the fire was not solely caused by those who physically set it. They attributed the escalation of hatred to years of political organization, the complicity of those in power who turned a blind eye, and the subsequent policies of impunity that rewarded the perpetrators. The association believes that the mindset that enabled the Madımak massacre continues to exist, albeit in different forms.

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We know that it was not only hands that fanned the flames; it was the politics that organized hatred for years, the power that turned a blind eye, and those who rewarded the perpetrators with impunity policies afterward.

While some fires may eventually extinguish, their ashes scattered and smoke dispersed, certain fires continue to burn in a nation's conscience for years. The Madımak incident, they stated, is such a fire. Every July 2nd serves as a reminder that forgetting means surrendering to darkness. The association reaffirmed its stance, standing for enlightenment against reactionism, labor against exploitation, and freedom against oppression. They pledged to continue defending humanity, truth, and the struggle, declaring, "We have not forgotten Madımak. We will not let it be forgotten."

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But some fires continue to burn in a country's conscience even after years have passed. Madımak is that fire.