ANKARA – On the 10th anniversary of the October 10 Ankara Train Station Massacre, where 104 people were killed, the victims were commemorated at the site of the attack. Speaking there, 10 October Peace Association Co-chair Mehtap Sakinci said: “From the conscience of the 104 people who took to the streets for peace and came to Ankara ten years ago, we understand that the slogan for peace remains as powerful and relevant as ever.”
Organized by the 10 October Peace Association, the commemoration brought together political parties, civil society groups, democratic organizations, and hundreds of citizens. After speeches and a joint press statement, participants marched toward the Ankara Courthouse.
‘NOTHING HAS BEEN THE SAME FOR TEN YEARS’
Reading the joint statement Mehtap Sakinci said: “Ten years ago, tens of thousands from unions gathered here for the Labour, Peace and Democracy Rally. In this square, turned into a bloodbath by DAESH, 104 people lost their lives and nearly 500 were physically and emotionally wounded. For those of us left behind, nothing has been the same for ten years. We remember our children, mothers, fathers, partners, friends, comrades, those we lost in Turkey’s deadliest civilian massacre, with love, respect and longing.”
‘PEACE DEMAND IS STILL ALIVE’
Mehtap Sakinci continued: “When we recall the political climate of that time, we must remember why tens of thousands gathered here. Ten years later, the demand for peace remains unmet. As wars and destruction continue, especially in the Middle East, the urgency of peace is clearer than ever. Though governments may declare ceasefires, the pain of so many massacres and lost lives leaves a much deeper mark on humanity’s conscience. From the conscience of the 104 people who came to Ankara for peace ten years ago, we know that their call for peace remains alive and powerful. Real peace in this country cannot exist without justice for the 104 lives lost and for all who were killed in its name.”
BAKIRHAN: THOSE RESPONSIBLE HAVE NEVER BEEN TRIED
Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party Co-chair Tuncer Bakırhan vowed to continue the struggle until those responsible brought to justice. He said: “Anywhere else in the world, after such a massacre, a minister, a bureaucrat, someone in power would have resigned, apologized, or faced trial. In our country, those who paved the way for the Gar Massacre, directly or indirectly, have neither apologized nor been prosecuted.”
Bakırhan continued: “When peace and democracy are finally achieved, not only the killers who pulled the trigger, but also those who stood behind them, who allowed them to travel freely from Antep to Ankara, will face justice. This is our promise to the families of the victims. These massacres will not be forgotten. We will not forget those who ignored the evidence, who obscured the truth, and who refused to hold fair trials, they too have built the foundations for such atrocities.”
Bakırhan stressed that as DEM Party they continue doing everything but government ignored and he concluded: “To the peace lovers who lost their lives at the Gar, we promise: we will fight harder than ever to realize your dream of peace. Together, we will build a land where massacres no longer happen, where Kurds, Alevis, Armenians, and all peoples live and act freely, side by side.”