Victims of Sivas Massacre remembered on 29th anniversary
SİVAS – Demirören News Agency
The Sivas Massacre, an arson attack staged on mostly Alevi intellectuals inside the Madımak Hotel that killed 33 intellectuals and two hotel personnel, was commemorated on its 29th anniversary on July 2 in the central Anatolian province of Sivas.
Five thousand people, including Sivas Governor Salih Ayhan and representatives from non-governmental organizations attended the ceremony, marching to the Madımak Hotel, which is currently used as a science and culture center, and laying red carnations in the memorial corner in the hotel building.
Ahmet Alan and Hakan Türkgil, who were among the demonstrators whose names had been alongside the names of intellectuals and hotel employees in the memorial corner created in the hotel building, were removed this year.
“This is not only the sorrow of the people of Sivas, but the sorrow of the whole country, the pain of all humanity,” Governor Salih Ayhan said during the visit to the Madımak Hotel.
The attack against the hotel on July 2, 1993, targeted a group of intellectuals participating in a conference organized by the PSAKD, an Alevi organization.
The participants of the conference were accused of being “infidels” by the large crowd outside, who had been provoked to action by a number of local political leaders.
While 33 people attending the conference died in the fire, two hotel personnel also died along with them.
