Despite the passage of 30 years, the pain and anguish from the massacre that unfolded in Başbağlar village, located in the Kemaliye district of Türkiye's eastern province of Erzincan, still haunt the memories of its inhabitants.
Occurring immediately after the Sivas events, this tragic incident remains etched in the nation's collective memory.
Taking place on July 5, 1993, the Başbağlar massacre stands as a grim chapter in Türkiye's history. Lasting from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM, the attack resulted in one of the deadliest civilian massacres ever witnessed in the country.
During the massacre, the village was completely isolated as entrances and exits were blocked, and phone lines were severed. Disturbingly, despite being informed of the ongoing atrocities at 1:00 AM, the Başpınar Gendarmerie Headquarters failed to respond or take immediate action.
The state authorities only became aware of the massacre after a survivor sought refuge in a neighboring village around 5:00 AM. The survivor managed to contact his son in Istanbul, who then informed the local governor of the Kemaliye district.
The brutal attack involved the use of lava weapons, hand grenades, dynamite, and flammable chemicals, resulting in the destruction and burning of numerous structures. The school, mosque, village chambers, imam house, neighborhood rooms, teacher's house, along with 191 houses, 5 vehicles, and hundreds of animals fell victim to the rampage.
While the exact identities of the perpetrators remain unknown, their motive is believed to be retaliation for the Madımak massacre that occurred on July 2. The assailants gathered the villagers in the square and spent 1.5 hours propagating their intentions, stating that they sought revenge for the events in Sivas.
Although nearly twenty individuals were arrested in connection with the investigation, only two were ultimately sentenced to life imprisonment for their affiliation with the PKK. Interestingly, despite the PKK claiming responsibility for the attack, incarcerated PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan claimed ignorance of the incident during interrogations and attributed it to a member known as Dr. Baran. Consequently, the case was closed in 1998.
The tragedy of the Başbağlar massacre lies in the fact that 33 innocent individuals, who were uninvolved in the Sivas events, lost their lives as an act of revenge for the 33 victims in Sivas.
Every year, in a somber anniversary ceremony, the villagers of Başbağlar gather to remember the martyrs and honor their memory.
Startling revelations surfaced 25 years after the massacre when Mehmet Ali Dikkaya, the Head of the Başbağlar Village Association, disclosed that US helicopters were spotted flying over the village on the day of the massacre. Dikkaya further suggested that the assailants had prior knowledge of the village, its residents, and even the vacationing visitors from Istanbul.
Eyewitnesses shared chilling accounts of the harrowing events. One villager recounted how they managed to escape when the militants arrived at their door, while another revealed that the attackers called residents by their names and directed them to gather at the mosque.
The tragedy in Başbağlar stands as a stark reminder of the PKK's history of bloodshed and indiscriminate attacks on civilians. This heinous act joins a long list of PKK massacres, including those in Pınarcık, Çevrimli, Susa, Tatvan, Sündüz, Savur, and other locations, which have claimed the lives of numerous innocent individuals.
As the people of Başbağlar continue to grapple with the pain and loss caused by the massacre, the memory of the victims serves as a poignant reminder of the need for lasting peace and an end to terrorism in Türkiye. (ILKHA)
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