HDP (Peoples’ Democratic Party) Peoples and Beliefs Commission co-chair Tülay Hatimoğulları and Dersim Construction Congress released written statements on the occasion of the anniversary of the Dersim Genocide.

HDP: WE MUST PROTECT DERSIM

The statement by Hatimoğulları included the following:

"On May 4, 1937, one of the bloodiest massacres in history took place following the decision of the Council of Ministers."

According to local sources, more than 50 thousand people were massacred in Dersim and tens of thousands were forced to leave their homes.

The territory of Dersim, which Alevis regards as the "City of Consent", should be preserved with its faith and nature as part of our cultural wealth. Today, Dersim is still assimilated with one language and one religion practices. It is essential to abandon such practices for the sake of our social peace. All ethnic and religious identities of Anatolia and Mesopotamia should be protected as our common values.

This bloody massacre could only be confronted through an official apology, exposure of the burial sites of Seyid Rıza and his companions who were executed on November 15, 1937, opening of archives to determine how many people were massacred in 1937-38, presentation of the documents regarding the adopted children known as 'Lost Girls of Dersim', disclosure of the documents regarding those exiled, official return of the name of Dersim.”

DERSİM CONSTRUCTION CONGRESS: STRUGGLE CAN PREVENT GENOCIDE

The statement of Dersim Construction Congress said,"Tens of thousands of people were slaughtered, thousands were put into trains and exiled to the western provinces of Turkey. Hundreds of villages were erased from the map. Women were raped, girls were taken away from their families and given to officers as 'booty'. Seyit Rıza and his 6 companions were executed in Elazig Buğday Square, and those who remained alive were subjected to a brutal assimilation program called 'white death'.

The Republic of Turkey does not confront the Dersim Genocide and still continues its genocide practices through suppressing Dersim’s language, identity, belief, culture, people and geography.

Preventing genocides depends only on an effective and powerful struggle. Everyone has a responsibility to denounce genocides. Every member of Dersim should struggle for the rebuilding of Dersim. People of Dersim should work for the recognition of the Dersim Genocide in Turkey and abroad.

We invite our people all over the world to light candles and to sing "Daye Daye" and "Xatırbe To Welat" to lament for the dead at 19.37 Dersim local hour.”