JINHA

DERSİM - In 1937-38, a military campaign took place against parts of the province of Dersim (Tunceli), Turkey, which had not been brought under the control of the state. It lasted from March 1937 to September 1938 and resulted in a particularly high death toll: many thousands of civilian victims. The bones of 24 people those who were executed by firing squad in Dersim Massacre, were buried in a ceremony on the anniversary of the massacre after 78 years.

It has been 78 years since the massacre occurred on Alevis in Dersim 1938. Tens thousands of people had been killed, pregnant women had been slashed open, babies had been stabbed and thousand of people had been burned alive. The atrocity against the people's beliefs, culture and life survive until today with the stories of resistance. Seyyid Rıza said that “I couldn’t cope with your tricks this becomes a worry to me; however, I didn’t surrender you and this becomes a worry to you.”

As Dersim people memorialize their losts every year, the bones of 24 people those who were executed by firing squad in Dersim Massacre, from Canan and Baran families were buried in a ceremony on this year’s Memorial Day. The bones were found on April last year. The bones were buried in the Sekesur hamlet of Bargini where the bones were found on the anniversary of massacre. Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) co-chair Figen Yüksekdağ, the HDP Dersim MP Alican Önlü, Dersim co-mayors Nurhayat Altun and M. Ali Bul, the Peoples' Democratic Congress (HDK) co-spokesperson Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit, writer Oya Baydar, researcher and writer İsmail Beşikçi, academic from Europe Elaonora Iannott, the Democratic Regions Party (DBP) co-chair Kamuran Yüksek, Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality co-mayor Gültan Kışanak, journalists Ergun Babahan, Ayşe Yıldırım and Celal Başlangıç and hundrends of people participated in the ceremony.

Lawyer Cihan Söylemez, who conducted the legal process to find the bones, stated that 24 people had been executed by firing squad and 11 of them have been identified as children. Cihan said that they found another mass grave when we found the first mass grave. They will initiate legal action to dig this grave.

After the speeches, the bones were carried in the coffins. The bones were buried by lamenting for the deads in Zaza language. There were emotional moments during the ceremony.

(dk-aı/gc/gd)