In a conference about the Dersim rebellion organized by the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), BDP Co-Chair Gültan Kýþanak said referring to the massacre of 1938, "What happened in Dersim is obviously genocide. Apologizing without establishing this truth and without regretting it is mocking the people."

Kýþanak added, "What happened in Dersim was a planned policy of the Turkish state. However, Turkey has been finding excuses for 74 years to avoid facing the truth. The longer the truth is denied the darker the future becomes."

Kýþanak also underlined the necessity of a truth commission and criticized the ruling AKP (Justice and Development Party) for apologizing insincerely for the sake of the continuation of their government.

The ongoing conference is being attended by the Embassy of Germany Undersecretary Tobias Krauvse, Ambassador of Hungary Ýsvan Szabo, Embassy of Serbia Head Undersecretary Sevani Mizorav, BDP Co-Assistant Chairs Filiz Koçali and Yüksel Mutlu, BDP Group Vice-Chair Pervin Buldan, BDP Diyarbakýr MP Nursel Aydoðan, BDP Istanbul MP Sebahat Tuncel, BDP Women's Assembly Rapporteur Kibriye Evren, BDP Muþ MP Sýrrý Sakýk, sociologist Ýsmail Beþikçi and the editor-in-chief of pro-Kurdish daily Özgür Gündem Hüseyin Aykol.