Hundreds gather to mark 33rd anniversary of Sivas massacre, renew justice calls
SİVAS
Hundreds of people marched through the central Anatolian city of Sivas on July 2 to mark the 33rd anniversary of the 1993 Madımak Hotel arson attack, which killed 35 people, most of them Alevi intellectuals, while renewing demands for justice and for the site to be officially designated a “Museum of Shame.”
An extremist mob set the building on fire during the four-day Pir Sultan Abdal Cultural Festival on July 2, 1993. The victims had traveled to Sivas to participate in panel discussions, sign books, perform music and attend other cultural events. Among the festival speakers was prominent author Aziz Nesin, whose presence fueled protests by extremist groups before the attack.
Relatives of the victims, representatives of Alevi federations and civil society organizations from across Türkiye, lawmakers, citizens and main opposition Republican People’s Party’s ousted leader Özgür Özel gathered in the city.
