Sivas massacre

The burning of Sivas refers to the pogrom-like attack of a religiously motivated and whipped amount to an Alevi festival participants and the subsequent firing of the Madimak hotels on 2 July 1993 in the central Anatolian city of Sivas. In this case, 37 people were mostly Alevi faith lives. In the official Turkish language it is called Sivas event. Alevis speak of the Sivas massacre.

Arson attack on the Madimak hotel

In an Alevi cultural festival in honor of the poet Pir Sultan Abdal in the summer of 1993 in Sivas, the Turkish writer Aziz Nesin publicly declared that he considered the majority of the Turkish population for " cowardly and stupid " because they did not have the courage to stand up for democracy. This, and the translation and publication of the partially heretical Muslims novel " The Satanic Verses " by Salman Rushdie meant that provoked mainly conservative Sunni circles felt. On 2 July, an angry crowd gathered ( the number of persons is estimated at 20,000 ) after Friday prayers in front of the Madimak hotel in which Aziz Nesin, but also Alevi musicians, writers, poets and publishers lodged. From the heart of angry protesting crowd incendiary devices were finally thrown against the hotel. As the hotel was built of wood, the fire spread quickly. It burned 35 people; the author Aziz Nesin, the had been regarded, according to some sources, the attack in the first place, but survived slightly injured. Because of the angry crowd outside the hotel, the inhabitants of the hotel could not freely until they were finally trapped by the fire.

The State Security Court in Ankara came to the conclusion that the amount of disabled firefighters in the rescue. In addition, witness statements and video recordings show how scattered the crowd helped police and invading military unit retreated again.

The Alevis call this attack the " Sivas Massacre ", where, in their view of the arson attack had been subject to them, and since then feel let down by the state. The event played an important role in their awareness.

The Sunnis, however, deny any accusation of being responsible for the arson attack, and require the discovery of the real culprit. They advocate a revision of the investigation of the attack, claiming that saboteurs mingled in the crowd and have thrown against the hotel the incendiary. All the arson attack was broadcast live on TV.

Until the end of 2010 led Sunnis in the former Madimak hotel restaurant with meat dishes. This resulted in the Alevis to outrage and opposition, because they want to see there a peace museum. In early 2011 the Madimak hotel was purchased and cleared by the Turkish state. After construction began on a cultural center. It contains a memorial to the victims of the attack, as well as a library located in the new Madimak. Alevi associations insist that the cultural center will be renamed " Peace Museum ".

On 11 November 2007, the tombs of the Sivas victims in Ankara, Karsiyaka were damaged. The memorial wall was completely destroyed. A short time later there was another cause damage to the Sivas - Memorial by unknown perpetrators.

Aftermath of the events

Despite the irritated climate between Sunnis and Alevis in Turkey due to the arson in Sivas events led also to the rapprochement between the two groups and to the common solidarity to avert such tragic events in the future. Every year on July 2, held a memorial service for the 35 victims of the arson attack of Sivas, representatives of both groups to participate in the. The Turkish government, however, never uses the term " massacre " but a "sad incident". Among other things, some critics that the annual commemoration rather the hatred of the Alevis on fresh than reduce it. This is underpinned by claiming that the attack will polemic of those affected.

There are still many convicts on the run, with many residing in Germany. Not at all an international arrest warrant to the embassies seems to have been passed. The Turkish state has these accusations, however.

Prominent victims

  • Muhlis Akarsu ( * 1948 in Sivas ), folk singer and saz player
  • Metin Altiok (* 1941 in Izmir), poet
  • Behçet Aysan (* 1949 in Ankara), poet, doctor
  • Asim Bezirci (* 1927 in Erzincan ), poet, writer
  • Nesimi Çimen (* 1931 in Adana ), folk singer and Cura player
  • Asaf Koçak ( b. 1958 in Yozgat ), a cartoonist
  • Hasret Gultekin ( * 1971 in Sivas ), folk singer and saz player
  • Edibe Sulari ( born 1953 in Erzincan ), folk singer

Processing in the art

With the arson attack of Sivas sat apart a number of songs. The singer - almost all Alevis themselves - thus expressed their feelings.

Fazıl Say composed one of the victims in honor of the Requiem for Metin Altiok ( 2003). The first performance was by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism on the instructions of Prime Minister Erdoğan ( Quote: " We do not want to be reminded " ) censored. A personal intervention prevented by the Turkish Prime Minister and his Minister of Culture performance at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2008 drew again the international view of the arson attack and the handling of the Turkish Government with it.

Books on the firebombing of Sivas

The attack was the subject of several books in which the authors describe the events of that day, for example:

  • Aziz Nesin: Sivas'in Acısı
  • Hidayet Karakuş: Ateşli Mektuplar
  • Hikmet Cetinkaya: Zambak Sana since Bulaştı Kan
  • Öner Yağcı: Sivas'ı Unutmadık
  • Soner Dogan: Sivas: 2 Temmuz 1993
  • Zeki Büyüktanır: Madimak Çığlığı
  • Ten years ago: Islami table pogrom in Sivas calls 37 dead. In: Analysis Criticism No. 474 of 20 June 2003.
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