Constitutional Court ruling on the Madımak Massacre

The Constitutional Court has decided to postpone its deliberation on the individual application filed by the relatives of those who lost their lives at the Madımak Hotel, which was set on fire by reactionaries in Sivas on July 2, 1993, by ordering an additional report regarding the objections to the 'statute of limitations'.

Lawyers for the victims of the Madımak Hotel incident filed an individual application to the court in 2014, arguing that the right to life and the right to peaceful assembly and demonstration were violated because the judicial process initiated following the events in Sivas was not conducted thoroughly.

The application stated that the judicial process was not effective and that the provisions regarding a fair trial were violated, further asserting that the act in question should be classified as a crime against humanity and therefore should not be subject to the statute of limitations.

The Constitutional Court, which discussed the relatives' application on today's General Assembly agenda, decided to obtain an additional report on the file and postponed the deliberation.

During the final hearing held at the Ankara 1st High Criminal Court, the public prosecutor had requested the dismissal of the case, stating that the 30-year statute of limitations had expired on July 2, 2023. Following deliberations, the court announced its decision, stating that, taking into account the provisions of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) regarding the statute of limitations, it had decided to dismiss the public case separately for each defendant.