Hundreds march to mourn Sivas massacre victims
SIVAS
Hundreds of people marched through the streets of the central city of Sivas on July 2 to commemorate the 32nd anniversary of an arson attack that claimed the lives of 35 people, most of them Alevi intellectuals.
The annual memorial march began in front of the governor’s office and concluded at the site of the event, where a mob set the Madımak Hotel building ablaze during a cultural festival, killing 33 writers, poets and artists, along with two hotel employees.
A delegation laid carnations at a memorial corner inside the building, which now functions as a science and culture center.
"Our wish is that these pains will not be experienced again. We need to strengthen our unity and solidarity even more, we need to get closer to each other so that we do not give an opportunity to those who want to sow discord between us," Sivas Governor Yılmaz Şimşek said during the ceremony.
"Our differences are our richness, not the reason for our division... We will always ensure that an atmosphere of peace, love and tolerance prevails in Sivas."
Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel also honored the victims in a message on X, renewing his call to convert the hotel into a "museum of shame."
"We will continue our struggle until justice is served," Özel wrote. "The mines planted in Türkiye's internal peace... cannot be cleared only by tearful mothers, wives and children. We will clear those mines with our own hands."
The 1993 attack targeted participants of a cultural event that included prominent Alevi artists and scholars. A mob gathered outside the hotel and eventually set it on fire, trapping those inside.
In a retrial, 33 defendants were initially sentenced to death. After the abolition of the death penalty, 25 of them had their sentences commuted to aggravated life imprisonment. Eight individuals fled, while two were later pardoned due to age and health concerns.
Following a Constitutional Court decision, 17 more were released, leaving six still behind bars.
