The Sivas Massacre or the Madımak Incident are the events that took place in Sivas on July 2, 1993. These events occurred when the Madımak Hotel was set on fire by a radical Islamist group during the Pir Sultan Abdal Festival. As a result of this attack, 33 writers, poets, thinkers and 2 hotel employees, mostly Alevis, lost their lives. These tragic events are also known as the Sivas Events or the Madımak Massacre.
During the attack, two of the attackers gathered outside the hotel lost their lives. Many people think that security guards are inadequate in responding to incidents. Aziz Nesin, who survived with serious injuries, harshly criticized the then President Süleyman Demirel and the Tansu Çiller/Erdal İnönü (DYP-SHP) coalition government in his press statement after the events. Nesin said, “There is a state, I was saying. There is a state, there is a state to be believed. Good-bad, doing wrong-doing right, but the state exists. Of course they will avoid it. I thought it was so uncompromising. I was wrong.” used expressions.
What Happened in the Sivas Massacre
The Sivas Massacre is a painful event that took place on July 2, 1993. These events took place during the Pir Sultan Abdal Festivals organized by the Pir Sultan Abdal Cultural Association. Many artists and thinkers who came to Sivas as guests participated in this event as the special guest of the then Sivas Governor Ahmet Karabilgin. However, clashes with stones and sticks took place between the opposing group in the Cultural Center, and this conflict was prevented from escalating with the intervention of the police.
One of the factors that escalated the events was Aziz Nesin’s “Why should I believe in the thousand-year-old Quran? That’s why I’m not a Muslim.” His words are in the newspapers. These words increased the tension and provoked the events even more. The opposing group consisting of thousands of people left the Cultural Center and returned to the Government Square. The attackers started shouting slogans by stoning the Government House, and then continued to shout slogans by coming around the Madımak Hotel. “Satan Aziz!”, “Sivas will be a tomb for Aziz!” After statements such as “Down with secularism!”, “Muslim Turkey!”, “Long live Sharia!” slogans were raised. The group first set fire to the vehicles in front of the Madımak Hotel and stoned the hotel. The people in the hotel were waiting in hopes of being rescued.
While the attackers were not burning the hotel, Aziz Nesin called Deputy Prime Minister Erdal İnönü and asked for help. However, İnönü said, “Don’t worry. We have taken the necessary precautions.” replied as. However, after the curtains and the furniture on the lower floor of the hotel were set on fire, the Madımak Hotel burned down. Some of the attackers said, “My God, this is your fire! Send it inside!”, “Hell fire!”, “Devil Saint!” used expressions such as After waiting for a long time, those who were in the hotel could not be saved.
35 people, including names such as Asım Bezirci, Nesimi Çimen, Muhlis Akarsu, Metin Altıok and Hasret Gültekin, were burned to death or suffocated by smoke. 51 people who survived the events with serious injuries, including Aziz Nesin, managed to survive by their own means. Aziz Nesin was battered by the police officer while he was trying to be rescued and the attacker was pushed into the crowd. However, with the intervention of the police, Nesin was saved from the lynching attempt. The injured were taken to the Medical Faculty Hospital by police cars. As a result of these terrible events, 33 invited guests, 2 hotel staff and 2 attackers lost their lives. With the 2-day curfew announced in the evening, the security forces were able to maintain full control of the city.
There are many speculations about the Sivas Massacre, which was allegedly planned by the Special Warfare Department. However, there is no conclusive evidence for this claim and it has not been officially confirmed. The events occurred as a result of attacks by a radical Islamist group.
The Sivas Massacre has taken its place in Turkey’s history as a deep pain and trauma. These events clearly demonstrated the consequences of violence against free thought, freedom of expression and ethnic/religious differences. The Sivas Massacre was a turning point that questioned social peace and tolerance in the country.
Post-incident Trial Process
In the process known as the Sivas Case, 33 people were detained one day after the incident, and this number later increased to 190. 124 of the 190 detainees were tried on charges of “attempting to change the secular constitutional order and establish a religious state”. The rest were released. The first hearing of the case was held on 21 October 1993 at the Ankara No. 1 State Security Court. As a result of the trial, 22 defendants were sentenced to fifteen years, 3 defendants to ten years, 54 defendants to three years and 6 defendants to two years’ imprisonment. 37 defendants were acquitted.
The intervening lawyers appealed, describing the decision of the State Security Court as biased and unlawful. The 9th Penal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals overturned the court’s decision, stating that the massacre was directed against the Republic, secularism and democracy. The trial was restarted.
In the decision announced on November 28, 1997, 33 defendants were sentenced to death in accordance with Article 146/1 of the Turkish Penal Code, and 14 defendants were sentenced to imprisonment up to 15 years. While the 9th Penal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals approved the prison sentences on 24 December 1998, it overturned 33 death sentences due to procedural deficiencies. As a result of the trial that started in February 1999, 33 defendants were sentenced to death again on 16 June 2000. However, with the abolition of the death penalty in 2002, these sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.
As the case progressed, the number of defendants decreased to 33 with the evictions. Cafer Erçakmak, member of Sivas Municipality Council, and 8 fugitive suspects, who are among the important figures of the incident, have not been caught yet. The prosecution was dropped due to the statute of limitations concerning some of the defendants in the case. However, the part of the case concerning the 5 fugitives was dropped from the statute of limitations on 13 March 2012.
The Sivas Case is a case in which so many death sentences were given in a single case after the Independence Courts in the history of Turkey. The outcome of the case and the trial process caused great controversy in the society. Considering the political and ideological dimensions of the case, it can be said that the incident had profound effects on society. The Sivas Massacre took place at a time when important issues such as cultural differences, freedom of expression and secularism were discussed in Turkey and further deepened the polarization in the country. After the incident, government officials made attempts to prevent death sentences from being carried out, and the death sentences were later commuted to life imprisonment.
