SİVAS - 33 people who lost their lives in the Madımak massacre were commemorated with a march in Sêwaz. Green Left Party Co-Spokesperson Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar, who attended the commemoration, said: "The semahs will continue to whirl in Sivas despite those who burned Sivas."

 

Citizens who came together in Sêwaz under the leadership of Pir Sultan Abdal Cultural Association (PSAKD), organized a commemoration event on the 30th anniversary of the Sivas Massacre, where 33 intellectuals, writers and 2 hotel employees were burned to death at the Madımak Hotel. Citizens from many cities gathered in front of the Sivas Branch of Pir Sultan Abdal Cultural Association in the morning and marched towards the area where the massacre took place in corteges.

 

'DO NOT FORGET, REMEMBER'

 

Greens and Left Future Party (Green Left Party) Co-Spokesperson Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar, as well as MPs, representatives of political parties and non-governmental organizations participated in the march. “Our way is great, our light does not go out. The crowd, who opened a banner with the inscription "Pir Sultan Abdal will not die, marching to eternity" and carrying the photographs of those who lost their lives in the massacre, shouted "Don't forget Sivas, don't let it be forgotten" and "Sivas's light will not go out". Citizens who went to the windows and balconies during the march also supported the audience with applause.

 

'LET IT BE A MUSEUM OF SHAME'

 

Families who came in front of the Madımak Hotel with their photographs and carnations reiterated their demand for the hotel to be a "museum of shame".

 

PEOPLE WANTED TO BE QUESTIONED THE MASSACRE

 

CHP Group Chairperson Özgür Özel, who attended the commemoration, also made a short statement. Defining the massacre as a crime against humanity, Özel said: "We will continue to be here until the day when Sivas will be held accountable. We have not forgotten that the slogans "The Republic was founded here, it will be destroyed here" were shouted. The Sivas massacre is not just a massacre. It is a challenge to the Republic by those who intend to destroy the Republic in this city where the foundations of the Republic were laid. It is a challenge to all of us."

 

'SEMAHES WILL CONTINUE TO WHIRL'

 

Green Left Party Co-Spokesperson Çiğdem Uçar made a statement here after leaving carnations in front of the hotel after a moment of silence in memory of the massacre. Stating that there was an unimaginable massacre in Madımak 30 years ago, Uçar said: "The law enforcement watched the hotel burn, and state officials remained a bystander from Ankara to the massacre. A massacre took place on live broadcast for the first time in history, The court process, which has not made any progress in its 30th year, unfortunately faces the statute of limitations in the case to be held in September. The Madımak massacre is a crime against humanity. We will not allow this massacre to expire. In spite of those who burned Sivas, the semahs(Alevi religious ritual) will continue to whirl, the instruments will continue to play and the djems will continue to be held in Sivas."

 

'NO JUSTICE FOR 30 YEARS'

 

At the commemoration, the joint statement of the Pir Sultan Abdal Cultural Association, the Alevi Bektashi Federation, the Alevi Associations Federation, the Hacı Bektaş Veli Anatolian Culture Foundation, the Confederation of European Alevi Unions, the Alevi Cultural Associations and the Australian Alevi Bektashi Federation on the massacre was read. Reading the statement, Pir Sultan Abdal Cultural Association President Cuma Elçi said: “It has been 30 years since the Sivas Madımak massacre, which is one of the most terrible massacres in the history of humanity, one of the most important starting points of the reactionary and discriminatory policies that paved the way for today's monist and denialist political power. We still haven't found the justice we've been looking for for 30 years. For 30 years, we have shouted our demands on the roads, streets, squares and courtrooms, in short, almost everywhere.”