Victims of Madımak remembered in Çiğli

Çiğli Municipality organized a commemoration event to honor the intellectuals, artists, and citizens who perished in the Sivas Madımak Hotel fire on July 2, 1993. The program featured poetry readings by poet and writer Hidayet Karakuş, accompanied by folk songs that resonated with shared memory and enduring pain.

The event was attended by Çiğli Mayor Onur Emrah Yıldız, CHP Çiğli District Chairman Erkan Akar and his management team, CHP Çiğli District Women's Branch Chair Necla Dülgeroğlu and her management, CHP Çiğli District Youth Branch Chair Mertcan Eroğlu and his management, municipal council members, mukhtars, bureaucrats, representatives of non-governmental organizations, and a large number of citizens.

Mayor Onur Emrah Yıldız stated that July 2 symbolizes the struggle between darkness and light. "We will never forget this massacre that targeted art, thought, and humanity. Against the dark mentality that took our loved ones by exploiting faith, we will continue to stand for equality, brotherhood, peace, and the values of the secular Republic. Those who think they can intimidate us should know that the bright faces of this country stand tall today, just as they did yesterday. We will continue to keep alive the memory of those we lost in Madımak and amplify the demand for justice," he said.

CHP Çiğli District Chairman Erkan Akar described July 2, 1993, as a black stain on Turkish history. "In Madımak, not only our 33 intellectuals and artists were burned, but also freedom of thought, secularism, the culture of living together, and conscience were burned. The years that have passed have not lessened the pain; they have only amplified the quest for justice. Every forgotten pain paves the way for similar darkness. The Sivas Massacre is a grave crime against humanity. Therefore, we will resolutely continue our demand for justice and our struggle for coexistence," Akar stated.

Emine Duran, who was 13 years old and a witness to the events in Sivas on the day of the massacre, shared her experiences tearfully. She expressed that recounting the events brings back the same pain and that the brutality she witnessed as a child has never faded from her memory. Duran conveyed her hope that future generations will not experience such suffering.

The program concluded with emotional moments, including poems and folk songs dedicated to those who lost their lives in Madımak, sending messages of a growing struggle for justice, democracy, and peace.