President says light yet to be shed on Sivas massacre

“This is one of the most tragic incidents in our political history. Light has not been shed on this incident. Light should be shed on this case and all its aspects,” Gül said on Thursday during a joint press conference in Ankara with visiting Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa Delgado. He added that the trial has not yet been completed, referring to the ongoing appeals process.

The tragic Sivas case concerns the deaths of 37 people on July 2, 1993, at the Madımak Hotel in Sivas, which occurred when an angry mob set the building on fire. Seven of the suspects are still at large, and two of them, Cafer Erçakmak and Yılmaz Bağ, have been confirmed dead. Another five walked free on Tuesday when the Ankara 11th High Criminal Court decided to drop the case on the grounds that too much time had passed, triggering national condemnation.

Opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli also released a written a statement on Thursday, voicing strong criticism of the case being dropped due to the statute of limitations. He said the “values of humanity were trampled” with the court’s decision. “Regardless of the court decision, the bloody hands involved in this chaos have been convicted in the hearts of the people,” he added.

Bahçeli referred to the case as “a tragic incident that was an explicit plot to incite sect-based enmity and contention in Turkey,” complaining that nothing has been done to compensate for the incident, despite the passing of 19 years. He added, “The recent decision by the Ankara 11th High Criminal Court [to drop the case] has once again confirmed this situation.”

The MHP leader warned against provocations in the wake of the decision and called for common sense. “Any moves that could harm social peace by taking advantage of the court decision and spreading separatist feelings of animosity would not benefit anyone. In the past, Turkey has been shaken by many similar unfortunate and dangerous incidents and lost its way in the deep waters of polarization,” Bahçeli warned.

Meanwhile, Deputy PM Bekir Bozdağ responded to questions from the press on Thursday regarding a judicial reform package concerning the removal of statutes of limitations in some cases, saying any changes will be non-retroactive. He said the appeals process regarding the dismissal of the Sivas trial is underway, adding, “It is impossible to say that the incident has completely been illuminated.” He said further investigation was needed but noted that changes to the statute of limitations could never be applied to a past case.