Mysterious crosses in Turkish province target Alevis :NGOs

ADIYAMAN - Hürriyet Daily News

This file photo shows one of the houses that was marked in the southeatern province of Adıyaman’s Yenimahalle and Karapınar districts on the night of Feb 26. DHA photo

A group of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) yesterday released a report on the mysterious marks drawn by unidentified individuals on dozens of homes belonging to members of Turkey’s Alevi minority in the eastern province of Adıyaman recently.

“Despite all the talk of fraternity, Alevis living in the area [where the houses were marked] are on edge. It has been reported that [Alevi] locals are keeping watch at night,” the report said. The report also said it seems suspicious that no trace of the perpetrators could be found in the footage collected from cameras near the scene of some of the markings and submitted to the police, including the security camera of an internet cafe in the area, which was found to have been switched off at the time of the incident, although it usually records continuously every day.

The social fabric in Adıyaman is less prone to a strict divide between Alevis and Sunnis, with inter-sectarian marriages more frequent than in other regions with significant Alevi populations, according to the report, which still warned against further provocation, according to the daily Milliyet.

A total of six NGOs contributed to the report, including the Association for Human Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed Peoples (Mazlum-Der) and the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (İHH,) as well as a number of women’s organizations.

Some 45 houses were crossed in Adıyaman’s Yenimahalle and Karapınar districts on the night of Feb. 26 and early morning of Feb. 27. A similar method was used to mark the houses of Alevis prior to the Maraş massacre of 1978, in which at least 105 people were killed.