Sivas Massacre victims remembered in Kadıköy: 'Democracy won't come without confronting massacres'

A crowd gathered in Kadıköy, Istanbul, to commemorate the 33 lives lost in the Sivas Massacre of July 2, 1993. Organized by Alevi institutions and associations, the event began with a march from Sürayya Opera to Kadıköy Pier, filled with chants for justice and slogans like "Justice for Sivas, justice for all" and "The light of Sivas will not be extinguished."

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We have been seeking justice for 33 years.

Following the march, participants gathered at the pier for a ceremony that included bağlama music and semah. The Pir Sultan Abdal Cultural Association concluded the event with a press statement. The association reiterated its 33-year pursuit of justice and its demand for the Madımak Hotel, the site of the massacre, to be converted into a "Museum of Shame."

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The main reason for the women murdered in the street today, our plundered nature, our streams, our forests, the trustees who hold the people's will hostage, and the coups of law and usurpations of will is the failure to confront the massacres and the rewarding of perpetrators with impunity.

The statement linked the "rottenness" and "darkness" plaguing the country to a failure to confront the past. "The main reason for the women murdered in the street today, our plundered nature, our streams, our forests, the trustees who hold the people's will hostage, and the coups of law and usurpations of will is the failure to confront the massacres and the rewarding of perpetrators with impunity," the statement read. It asserted that a country that does not illuminate its past cannot have a bright present or a free future, and that neither democracy nor genuine peace can be built without settling these historical accounts.

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A country that does not illuminate its past cannot have a bright present or a free future, and neither democracy nor genuine peace can be built without settling these historical accounts.

Gülsem Kaya, the organizing secretary of the Pir Sultan Abdal Cultural Association, read a statement highlighting the widespread nature of the commemorations, spanning cities across Turkey and extending to Britain, Australia, and various European cities. She emphasized that the gathering was not just to remember the 33 victims but to demand accountability, confront the past, and unite to change the nation's "ill fate." Kaya also paid tribute to the families of the victims who have passed away while seeking justice, vowing to fulfill their dreams and honor their struggle.

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We are not just here today to remember the souls we lost 33 years ago. We are here today to demand accountability, to confront, and to stand shoulder to shoulder to change the ill fate of these lands!