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Türkiye commemorated the 32nd anniversary of the Basbaglar Massacre, one of the deadliest terrorist attacks on civilians in the country’s modern history, in which 33 people were killed by terrorist organization PKK members on July 5, 1993.
A total of 33 villagers were killed in the massacre, while over 200 houses, plus the village clinic, mosque, and school, were burned down.
According to official records, PKK terrorists arrived in Basbaglar, a village in the Kemaliye district of Erzincan, late in the evening and first gathered women and children near a stream. After looting the villagers' homes, taking valuables and gold, they set them on fire.
The terrorists first killed five people by setting fire to their homes. They then gathered 28 men who were at the mosque for evening prayers in an empty area near the village.
After conducting terrorist organization propaganda for a period, the terrorists executed these individuals by firing squad. Hundreds of empty shell casings were found during investigations after the incident.
Eyewitness and survivor Eyup Aydinli, who was nine years old at the time, recalled the terror of that night.
"The entire village was in flames. Stones were falling, and animals were screaming. That scene never left my mind," said Aydinli.
He said the terrorists split the villagers into groups—women and children on one side, men on the other—and subjected them to armed threats and propaganda. "They told us, 'We planted bombs here. If you move, we’ll detonate them.' We spent the night in terror."
When villagers reached the site the next morning, they found 27 bodies. One of Aydinli’s relatives had been shot while resisting being thrown into a burning vehicle.
Five other family members, including his grandfather, were burned alive in their homes.
Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus commemorated those who lost their lives in the Sivas events on July 2, 1993, and the Basbaglar massacre on July 5, 1993.
In a social media post, Kurtulmus stated, "The atrocities experienced in Sivas and Basbaglar in 1993 remain in our memories as a wound that does not close, a pain that does not subside in our hearts. I once again commemorate with mercy and respect our citizens who lost their lives in these tragic incidents."
"To ensure that these pains that deeply affected our Türkiye are never experienced again, we will unite more closely with each other, grow our social peace and brotherhood, and resolutely protect our common future."
In 2013, a museum was opened in Basbaglar to preserve the memory of the victims. Inside, visitors can see the personal belongings of those killed—aged between 13 and 74—including clothing, combs, shoes, and prayer beads. A memorial plaque at the entrance lists the names of the 33 civilians.
The PKK's massacres are not limited to Basbaglar.
Some of the PKK's massacres are as follows:
The 32nd anniversary commemoration in Basbaglar included prayers at the village cemetery, a Quran recitation, a memorial meal, and visits to the monument built for the victims.
Former village headman and survivor Ali Akpinar, who was injured during the attack, said, "This was genocide. They killed 28 civilians by firing squad and burned five others alive in their homes. The world should not forget what happened here."
The Basbaglar Massacre will be commemorated with a ceremony on its 32nd anniversary. Despite 32 years passing since the massacre, the experienced pain still maintains its freshness.
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