DAD Ankara co-chair Mustafa Karabudak said that the government is trying to create its own acceptable Alevi by saying ‘if you stand by us we will meet your needs, if you are not with us, we will raid the cemevi, we will arrest you and isolate you’.

Democratic Alevi Associations (DAD) Ankara co-chair Mustafa Karabudak spoke to ANF.

Karabudak said: “When the government gets some relief, it starts to attack. When we look at this government’s actions since 2002, we can see that its policy changes during election periods. When the election approaches, it starts to recognize all the other components of society, and when the election is over, it starts to attack.”

Reacting to the government's announcement that the demands of Alevi were heard during the visit of 1,585 cemevis in 58 provinces, Karabudak continued: “We do not accept this statement. In reality, the policies to assimilate Alevis continue. With a strong democratic constitution, the Alevis and other faiths should get a share of the budget. The government is trying to create its own ‘acceptable’ Alevi. They say, ‘If you stand by us, we will meet your needs, if you are not with us, we will raid the cemevi, we will arrest you and isolate you."

Karabudak added: "The Alevis are a society of consent. From the past to the present, they have managed themselves by themselves. They should get a share of the budget because the Alevis also pay taxes. They fulfil all their civic obligations. In this context, the Alevis have demands, yes."

Karabudak emphasized that it would not be possible for the Alevis to consider the government’s statements sincere until the files on the massacres are opened. "[The fire of the hotel] Madımak is still not resolved, the case of the Gazi Massacre has been closed. If this government is, the files of these massacres will be opened first, and the burial places of Seyid Rıza and his comrades will be shown. Hate language will no longer be used. Just a few days ago, a former AKP deputy insulted Alevis and Kurds."

We are seeking rights and truth

DAD Ankara co-chair Karabudak said that the Alevis are seeking rights and truth. “Not only Alevis, today the Şenyaşar family has been seeking justice for 257 days. From here, we greet and support their honourable protest and their demands for justice. Imam Ali says, ‘If there is pain and cruelty in a place, if you cannot intervene, let it be heard.’ We are also saying here that the Kurds are under pressure. Alevis are oppressed, like many others. Our aim is not to renew suffering, is to keep that memory alive.”