Alevi organisations of Turkey request formal apology on 45th anniversary of Maraş Massacre

Duvar English

The Democratic Alevi Foundations (DAD) on Dec. 19 organized a commemoration for the victims of the Maraş Massacre on the 45th anniversary of the events in Turkey’s Mediterranean Mersin province. 

Civil society representatives as well as witnesses to the massacre joined the commemoration, according to reporting by the Mesopotamia Agency. 

The DAD co-chair Hüsniye Çelik stated that over 500 people were killed in the massacre, despite official reports.

Çelik drew attention to the various persecutions of Alevis in Turkey, “The Koçgiri, Çorum, Dersim, Ankara Gar, Suruç or Sivas Massacres. None of them could steer us away from our beliefs, and we continue to advocate for the brotherhood of peoples.”

The southeastern Hatay branch of the Human Rights Association (İHD) also issued a statement about the 45th anniversary of the massacre. It focused on the lack of punishment for the perpetrators. 

İHD representative Servet Akbaba addressed the government and called for the establishment of a commission to reveal the truths of the massacre to the public and bring justice to the affected communities. 

“We remind the government of its responsibility to apologize and uncover the truth,” Akbaba concluded. 

The Maraş Massacre of 1978 was a week-long strife where ultranationalist and pro-Sunni organizations targeted the Alevi-Kurds of Kahramanmaraş. Crowds stormed Alevi-majority neighborhoods and attacked homes, shops, and offices. 111 people died including women and children according to official figures, and over 500 were injured. The Turkish government instated martial law in Maraş and provinces where conflicts broke out concurrently. 

All 800 defendants brought to court with various charges were released in 1992.