alevis Archives

Alevis in Europe raise demand for genocide recognition

March 10, 2018 by administrator

It is time for the Turkish government to recognize the early 20^th century mass killings of Armenians and Alevis in the Ottoman Empire as a crime of genocide, a vice president of the European Alevi Unions Confederation said in Yerevan.

At a news conference on Friday, Eldar Klichkaya (who also heads the Federation of Alevis in France) called for a serious attitude and attention to their union’s declaration adopted ahead of the Armenian Genocide centennial back in 2015.

Klichkaya is in Yerevan together with a delegation of different Alevi organizations’ representatives from Europe. Earlier today, the guests visited the Armenian Genocide memorial in Tsitsernakaberd to pay respect to the big tragedy’s vicitms.

Klichkaya said they have also met with Vice Speaker of the National Assembly Eduard Sharmazanov (who is an ethnic Greek), and representatives of other ethnic minorities, including Yezidi and Assyrian parliamentarians and students.

He noted that despite the hundreds of years’ shared history, the Armenians and Alevis “know very little about each other today”.

“For many centuries, the peoples of Anatolia shared a common history. They derived food from the same soil and breathed the same air, and saw the same sun shining above their heads. And despite this harmony uniting the Alevis, Armenians, Kurds, Greeks and Assyrian-Chalcedonians, they [the Turks] always tried to eliminate this diversity, enforcing their policy of assimilation through the most brutal methods. They choked the country in tears and blood,” he said, quoting a paragraph from the document.

Klichkaya described their current visit as a unique gesture of paying their debt to Hrant Dink, the assassinated Turkish-Armenian editor-in-chief of Agos (Istanbul-based Armenian weekly) and the hundreds of other Armenians who lost their lives while defending the national cause for justice.

Koryun Nahapetyan, a French-Armenian public figure also attending the news conference, said they have been actively collaborating with Alevis over the past years (since Dink’s assassination) as part of their joint activities with the Turkish democrats, and representatives of other ethnic groups who suffered as a result of the Turkish government’s policies.

Aragats Akhoyan, a member of the International Association of Armenian Parliamentarians, said their first dialogues too, were with ethnic Alevis. “We are practically laying new foundations and outlining new frameworks today to allow the nations persecuted by the Turkish regime to get together again in an attempt to find and consider joint solutions. Their suffering was caused by the same instrument, i.e. – the Turkish nationalism,” he noted.

ECHR fines Turkey for violating Alevis’ right to religious freedom

April 26, 2016 by administrator

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled Turkey must pay 3,000 euros each to 203 applicants in a case concerning Turkish authorities’ “refusal to provide the applicants, who are followers of the Alevi faith, with [a] public religious service,” the Hurriyet Daily News reports.

In its decision, the court stated that Turkey had violated the applicants’ rights to freedom of religion and the prohibition of discrimination.

In its April 26 ruling, the court said the authorities’ “refusal of the applicants’ requests amounted to a lack of recognition of the religious nature of the Alevi faith and its practices (cem).” The ruling also elaborated that Turkey’s lack to recognize their religious practice had the “effect of denying legal protection to Alevi places of worship [cemevis] and religious leaders [dedes],” thus causing “numerous consequences for the organization, continuation and funding of their religious activities.”

Erdogan addresses the Armenians, Alevis and journalists to sexual minorities

June 4, 2015 by administrator

Erdogâneries. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made again evidence of racism and sectarianism by attacking journalists, Armenians, religious minorities and sexual minorities …! Erdogan has implemented a policy of exclusion of minorities was first criticized in a public speech the opposition Kurdish HDP (Kurdish Democratic People). Then its momentum, Turkish President has attacked the opposition party People’s Republican CHP. Finally to complete the whole Erdogan criticized the Armenian media Doghan journalists, Alevis and homosexuals. Its momentum Decidedly very inspired today LA- he said that “the Armenian lobby”, homosexuals, the Alevis and Doghan media journalists were those who supported the HDP and the CHP. Nothing less …

Erdogan whose regime openly supported by the delivery of arms, mercenaries and logistics support the Islamists in Iraq and Syria.

Krikor Amirzayan

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Turkey: Alevis took to the field before the boycott

February 8, 2015 by administrator

by Civilized Gideon,

Alevis, “against reactionary in education, secular, scientific, educational and democratic life in the mother tongue” slogan held a rally today in Kadikoy. Representatives of organizations critical of the government, has requested the removal of the mandatory religion classes.

Alevi associations and civil society organizations, organized the rally in Kadikoy Pier Square. Thousands rally attended by a large number of well Alevi organizations as HRA, KESK, DISK Education Sen, HDPE, ODP, Community and CHP gave a number of political parties and civil society support organizations among others. Fan group, Markets and Left Front was in the rally.

Rally, Sivas Massacre moved Madımak photographs of intellectuals who lost their lives. Who lost their lives in the resistance and Kobani’yi trip was also referred to the podium.

Flame whirling dervish show began with a speech at the rally representatives of the organization. government’s assimilation policies facing the Alevis as highlighted in the speech he criticized the Alevi workshops.

Implements the decisions of the ECHR

Alevi organizations speaking on behalf of the rally organizers Deputy Chairman of the Bektashi Federation Care Smooth, government monistic you want to edit a mentality in society, he said. Smooth, European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), the implementation of the decisions made regarding the mandatory religion classes call.

Smooth, said in his speech, “We do not want privileges, we want an end to discrimination. The language of the people, regardless of color, we demand equal citizenship rights. We will succeed with it. “

There boycott on February 13

Speaking at the rally, Education Sen Chairman Kamuran Khan, arguing that the government’s decision taken in the Ministry of Education gericileştir 19th Council Meeting against the implementation, said they went on strike on 13 February. Alevi organizations and Education-Sen action will be organized boycott called by teachers to go on strike.

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Turkey, Commemoration of Maraş massacre prevented on 36th anniversary

December 21, 2014 by administrator

A group gathered in the southern province of Kahramanmaraş Dec. 21 to commemorate at least 111 Alevis that were killed by right-wing extremists 36 years ago, but the annual ceremony was the subject of controversy once more as authorities refused to permit outsiders to attend the remembrance.

The chair of the Alevi-Bektashi Federation, Fevzi Gümüş, said the activities for the 36th anniversary of the Maraş incidents were banned and that Alevi citizens coming from other cities were not allowed entry.

This ban was “making the victim a victim again one more time,” Gümüş said, adding that it “embraced and supported the massacre.”

A group of 100 people marching with banners chanting slogans were stopped at the Narlı junction of the Gaziantep highway. They were asked to turn back by gendarmerie and police teams that were reinforced with troops coming from neighboring provinces.

The group did not return but sat down on the highway. Pazarcık District Gov. Mehmet Boztepe and Gendarmerie Cmdr. Col. Coşkun Doğan spoke with demonstrators for a while in an effort to dissuade them from their action.

Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Istanbul deputy Sebahat Tuncel condemned the Maraş incidents and said it was time Turkey was not mentioned in the same breath as massacres.

Meanwhile, some 2,200 police were on duty in the city as part of security measures, while a police helicopter was seen patrolling over the city throughout the day.

Ahead of the anniversary of the massacre, right-wing groups distributed fliers calling for long life to the “Turkish race” and inviting people to come “celebrate” the killings.

December/21/2014

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Turkey “Maraş Massacre” mostly Alevis, December 19 to 25 1978 by Turkish Gov.

December 19, 2014 by administrator

Turkish crime against Humanity

According to official numbers, 111 people, mostly Alevis, were massacred savagely in the Maras Massacre from 19 to 25 December 1978. The witnesses of the massacre can not forget the agony of massacre despite 36 years passing over it. Thousands of Alevis were wounded during the incidents, over 111 people were massacred, more than 552 houses and some 289 shops were destroyed. The witnesses of the massacre say, “We witnessed babies being beheaded in their swaddles, how can we forget this?”

The massacre of Kahramanmaraş started with a bomb thrown into a movie house. Rumors spread that left-wingers had thrown the bomb. The next day, another bomb was thrown into a coffee-shop frequently visited by left-wing circles. In the evening of 21 December 1978, teachers Hacı Çolak and Mustafa Yüzbaşıoğlu were killed on their way home. They were known as left-wingers. While a crowd of some 5,000 people prepared for the funeral, right-wing groups stirred up emotions saying that “the communists are going to bomb the mosque, and will massacre our Muslim brothers”.

On 23 December 1978, the incidents turned into a mass phenomenon. Groups stormed the neighborhoods where Alevis were living, destroyed their houses and shops. Many offices, including that of Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK) and Teachers’ Association of Turkey (TÖB-DER) were destroyed.

The court cases, opened at military courts, lasted until 1991. A total of 804 defendants, mostly right-wingers, were put on trial. The courts passed 29 death penalties and sentenced seven defendants to life imprisonment and 321 people to sentences between one and 24 years of imprisonment. The Court of Cassation quashed the sentences and because of legal amendments all defendants were released in 1991.

A secret document revealed that the secret service (MİT) had planned the incidents. Opinions of witnesses include the following observations:

Seyho Demir: “The Maraş Police Chief at the time was Abdülkadir Aksu. The massacre was organised by the Turkish secret service MIT, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the Islamists together… As soon as I heard about the massacre, I went to Maraş. In the morning I went to Maraş State Hospital. There, I met a nurse I knew… When she saw me, she was surprised: ‘Seyho, where have you come from? They are killing everyone here. They have taken at least ten slightly-wounded people from the hospital to downstairs and killed them.’ This was done under the control of the head physician of the Maraş State Hospital. Lawyer Halil Güllüoglu followed the Maraş massacre case. The files he had were never made public. He was killed for pursuing the case anyway.”

Meryem Polat: “They started in the morning, burning all the houses, and continued in the afternoon. A child was burned in a boiler. They sacked everything. We were in the water in the cellar, above us were wooden boards. The boards were burning and falling on top of us. My house was reduced to ashes. We were with eight people in the cellar; they did not see us and left.