Representatives and members of the Alevi institutions affiliated with the British Alevi Federation (BAF) gathered in front of the Turkish Embassy in London, to protest the pardon of Ahmet Turun Kılıç, who was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment for the Madımak Massacre, where 33 people died in Sivas.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan pardoned the man last week. Activists carried photos of the 33 intellectuals, artists and students who died in the fire.

Activists wanted to leave a black wreath in front of the embassy building before reading a press statement but were not allowed to do so by the police acting upon instructions of the Turkish embassy.

Reading a press statement in front of the embassy building activists underlined that the Madımak massacre was a crime against humanity and that President Erdoğan decision to pardon one of the authors was political rather than legal. 

Emphasizing that the Alevi society has been victims of systematic massacres for centuries, the statement added: "Madımak is a crime against humanity and to pardon one of the authors is to cover up the truth."