2 July 1993

It is the 2nd of July today, the anniversary of The Sivas Massacre (Sivas Katliamı). In Madımak Hotel, 37 people were burnt to death by radical islamists and facists. Intellectuals have gathered there to celebrate Pir Sultan Abdal's (a 16th century Alevi poet) festival.

The facists and islamists attacked after the moslem's friday prayers. Almost 20,000 of them first marched to the culture center, where the activities took place. They destroyed the monument which was just opened to public view a day ago. Then they marched to the hotel, they broke through the police barriers and surrounded the hotel. The main reason for the islamists and facists being there is to lynch Aziz Nesin, because he's translated Salman Rushdie's "The Satanic Verses" at that time. They set the hotel on fire and 37 people including musicians, poets, writers, tourists and hotel staff died. 51 people including Aziz Nesin managed to escape with heavy wounds. When he was recognized, he was beaten by a fireman and a city councilman shouted, "This is the devil we should have really killed."

After lengthy court proceedings, the State Security Court sentenced 33 people to death on 28 November 1997 for their roles in the massacre; 31 of these sentences were upheld in a 2001 appeal. When Turkey overturned the death penalty just over a year later in 2002, the sentences were commuted to life in prison.

Just like any other right wing or islamist attack, the police, army and the firemen DID NOTHING! They just watched the incidents calmly.

What really disgusts me is; that the hotel's grounds floor is a MEAT RESTAURANT now. Which is really sickening and nauseous. So many petitions were given to municipality and the parliament to make the hotel a museum but the politicians never took these seriously.

The victims are;

• Muhibe Akarsu - 35 years old, Muhlis Akarsu''s wife
• Muhlis Akarsu - 45 years old, bağlama (traditional turkish instrument) artist
• Gülender Akça - 25 years old
• Metin Altıok - 52 years old, poet, writer
• Ahmet Alan - 22 years old
• Mehmet Atay - 25 years old, journalist
• Sehergül Ateş - 30 years old
• Behçet Aysan - 44 years old, poet
• Erdal Ayrancı - 35 years old
• Asım Bezirci - 66 years old, researcher, writer
• Belkıs Çakır- 18 years old
• Serpil Canik - 19 years old
• Muammer Çiçek - 26 years old, actor
• Nesimi Çimen - 67 years old, poet, 3 wired cura virtuose (traditional turkish instrument)
• Carina Cuanna - 23 years old, Dutch journalist
• Serkan Doğan - 19 years old
• Hasret Gültekin - 23 years old poet, creator of the "şelpe" (a way to play the bağlama) technique
• Murat Güneş,Murat Gündüz - 22 years old
• Gülsüm Karababa -22 years old
• Uğur Kaynar - 37 years old, poet
• Asaf Koçak - 35 years old, caricaturist
• Koray Kaya - 12 years old
• Menekşe Kaya - 17 years old
• Handan Metin - 20 years old
• Sait Metin - 23 years old
• Huriye Özkan - 22 years old
• Yeşim Özkan - 20 years old
• Ahmet Öztürk - 21 years old
• Ahmet Özyurt - 21 years old
• Nurcan Şahin - 18 years old
• Özlem Şahin - 17 years old
• Asuman Sivri - 16 years old
• Yasemin Sivri - 19 years old
• Edibe Sulari - 40 years old, artist
• İnci Türk - 22 years old
• Kenan Yılmaz - 21 years old

NOTHING FORGOTTEN - NOTHING FORGIVEN!