The Maraş Massacre on its 46th anniversary: What happened, how many people died?

When the calendar turned to December 19, 1978, attacks organized by ultra-nationalist and reactionary gangs against citizens of Alevi origin and those with left-socialist views in Kahramanmaraş continued until December 26. As a result of the process, according to official figures, at least 120 people were killed, 176 people were injured, and hundreds of homes and businesses were burned and destroyed. 

Following the massacre, martial law was declared in Maraş and surrounding provinces. 

After the massacre, show trials opened in martial law courts continued until 1991. Although some defendants were given sentences such as life imprisonment and the death penalty in the trials where 804 people were prosecuted, the defendants were released under the 'Anti-Terror Law'. Those who committed the massacre went unpunished.

MARAŞ ATTACKER BECAME A MARAŞ DEPUTY!

Ökkeş Kenger, one of the most prominent figures in the massacre, changed his surname to Şendiller after being acquitted. He entered the 1991 elections as a candidate for the Welfare Party (Refah Partisi) and was elected as a member of parliament for Kahramanmaraş. Kenger served as a member of the 'Parliamentary Human Rights Investigation Commission'.

Authorities were never able to locate 68 people who played a role in the massacre. 559 homes belonging to Alevis were burned, and nearly 290 businesses were destroyed.

News Source: 12punto