Başbağlar massacre
The Başbağlar massacre (Turkish: Başbağlar Katliamı) is the name given to the event in which militants from the PKK, killed 33[1] Sunni Turkish civilians and burnt down the village of Başbağlar near Erzincan on July 5, 1993.
The incident took place at the village of Başbağlar, near Kemaliye in Erzincan Province, when approximately 100 heavily armed militants rampaged through the village, dragging all the civilians to the village square and burning their homes and property.
After an hour of propaganda session dozens of men from the village were killed in front of their families. The militants then moved onto setting the whole village on fire. 214 homes, the school, the mosque and the community center were burnt down.[2]
20 people were arrested in relation to this massacre, 18 of which were released while 2 were imprisoned. The 2 PKK militants were later sentence to life imprisonment.[3]
Responsibility for the Başbağlar massacre was ascribed to the PKK.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.zaman.com.tr/haber.do?haberno=866252
- ^ "Başbağlar da 15 yıldır adalet bekliyor", Haber10, July 6, 2008. URL access date: July 7, 2008.
- ^ "Başbağlar'da geç gelen adalet" (Late justice at Başbağlar), Radikal, October 24, 1998. URL access date: July 7, 2008.
Coordinates: 39°15′03″N 38°55′16″E / 39.25080°N 38.92110°E
[edit] Links to Sivas massacre
The Başbağlar massacre is believed to be a retaliation for the Sivas massacre which had happened a few days before[citation needed].
