Kurdish poet who died in Sivas Massacre gets statue in eastern Dersim
A Kurdish poet and musician who was killed in the 1993 Sivas Massacre, Hasret Gültekin's statue was erected in the yard of a cemevi in the eastern province of Dersim, along with a monument commemorating the 33 other intellectuals who died in the attack. The cemevi president said that the '93 massacre was a milestone in Alevi history.
Ferhat Yaşar / DUVAR
A statue of Kurdish poet and musician Hasret Gültekin was erected in the yard of a cemevi, an Alevi house of worship, in the eastern province of Dersim.
One of the 33 artists and intellectuals that got killed in the arson of Madımak Hotel in eastern Sivas on July 2, 1993, Gültekin’s statue is accompanied by a Sivas martyrs' monument.
President of the Düzgün Baba Cemevi Sinan Kırmızıçiçek said that the Sivas Massacre was a milestone in Alevi history and culture.
"The Alevi community and Alevi movements really went through an awakening and formation after July 2. Alevis turned into an organized force in Turkey and Europe after the Sivas Massacre," Kırmızıçiçek said.
Noting that the statue and monument will be complementing the Sivas Martyrs Memorial Forest nearby, the cemevi president said the monuments would be revealed through a small ceremony.
Unity among Alevis is essential for survival and to avoid other tragedies like Sivas, as the current system doesn't recognize the minority, the cemevi president added.