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Turkish Daily News-Turkey still remembers the death of 37 people at a hotel
in Sivas in 1993, but still cant understand why it happened
Commemorative services were held around the country on Sunday to remember
the deaths of 37 people at the Madýmak Hotel in Sivas on July 2, 1993.
On the day, a crowd of furious fundamentalists had laid siege to a hotel
where those who would participate at the Pir Sultan Abdal Culture Festival
were staying. The guests at the hotel, mainly Alawi intellectuals and
artists could not escape the fury of the crowd outside.
The demonstrations that got out of hand were caused by author and publisher
Aziz Nesin, who had published Salman Rushdi's Satanic Verses in Turkish.
A crowd of 1,000 strong left two local mosques after Friday prayers on the
day and walked towards the hotel. The crowd grew to almost 16,000 when they
reached the hotel, with demonstrators shouting, Devil Aziz, Sivas will
become Aziz' grave and Soldiers can't protect atheists.
Some among the demonstrators set cars around the hotel and the hotel itself
on fire. Security forces that arrived on the scene succeeded in pushing the
crowd back by firing in the air. Of the 150 people who were at the hotel,
some escaped from exits, others with the help of the fire brigade or by
jumping to the building next door. By the time the fire was extinguished, 37
people had died.
A tragedy yet to be fully understood:
Human Rights Association (ÝHD) President Yusuf Alataþ said on Sunday Turkey
was yet to fully come to grips with the social wounds the arson had caused.
Speaking at a rally in Ankara, Alataþ said if the tragedy's legal,
political, administrative and social aspects were not studied, the future
consequences of it would be dire.
Republican People's Party (CHP) Sivas deputy Nurettin Sözen said those who
murdered the 37 were not the people of Sivas. People of Sivas can't be
blamed for what happened. But we should never forget that this crime
happened in Sivas.
He said the CHP proposal to turn Hotel Madýmak into a museum to remember the
tragedy was rejected by Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputies,
accusing the current government of having the same mentality of those who
had committed the crime. Many of the members of the current government were
among the planners of this tragedy.
AKP deputy leader Akif Gülle said they once again condemned what happened in
Sivas, adding that the passage of years failed to extinguish the hurt they
felt in their hearts.
He said no matter what creed one believed in, everyone was an honorable
member of the Turkish nation.
In Sivas, a large group arrived in front of the hotel on Sunday, carrying
the photos of those who lost their lives in the fire. As each victim's name
was read out, the group shouted, Alive.
Pir Sultan Abdal Culture Association President Kazým Genç said they still
remembered Sivas, adding: We still remember the long wait in the dark
corridors of Madýmak. We remember the extinguishing of all hopes, the shouts
>from outside, the breaking of windows and the fire that swallowed everything
up. It is treason to forget Sivas. We want the hotel to be turned into a
museum.
European Alawi Unions Confederation President Turgut Öker said the Alawi
community would never support those who preferred to go to watch the
Kýrkpýnar wrestling tournament instead of coming to Sivas. He said the trial
of the tragedy needed to be reopened. Those who governed the country 13
years ago were partners in crime with those who burned down the hotel. The
president was Süleyman Demirel. The prime minister was Tansu Çiller. The
police chief and the interior minister at the time are also fellow
perpetrators. This is why the trial needs to be reopened. Justice needs to
be served.
Ankara People of Sivas Federation President Muharrem Ülger condemned the
tragedy, adding that they remembered the murders shamefully every year.
For hundreds of years, we lived in peace as the people of Anatolia as
Sunnis and Alawis. We will continue to live in peace.
The rallies in Istanbul were held in Kadýköy.
The hotel remains unused but there is a restaurant currently operating.
There were serious criticisms about the fact that a business was operating
at the site of such a tragedy in the past.