Alevi organizations in Istanbul reacted against the massacres against Alevis in Syria under the control of HTS. In the statement Sevim Yalıncakoğlu, Chair of the Alevi Cultural Association, read the joint text and said that the massacre of Alevis in Syria is being ignored. Sevim Yalıncakoğlu stated that the massacres are systematic and deliberate and said, "Since 8 December, Alevi villages in Idlib, Homs, Hama and Latakia countryside have been under siege and the people face the threat of death. While the Alevi people are targeted with announcements made from mosques, the attacks have reached their peak. Kidnapped women are intimidated with the threat of rape, young people are tortured and disappeared, villages are burned and destroyed and unsolved murders have become commonplace. This is a genocide."

 

'THOSE WHO SUPPORT HTS ARE RESPONSIBLE'

 

Emphasising that Colani, the leader of the interim government established in Syria, and HTS were armed and trained with the support of "Western imperialist powers", Sevim Yalıncakoğlu added, "We ask from here, where is Turkey in these massacres? The fact that the press presents Colini as a 'figure of stability' is nothing but distorting the truth. The HTS government, which has been supported by Turkey and the collaborators of the imperialist powers in the region since the beginning, turns a blind eye to the perpetrators of these massacres with the support of the murderous HTS and the collaborator AKP. HTS and similar organisations have freely crossed the borders of Turkey for years. Those who talk about the persecution of the Alevi people are either silenced or discredited by black propaganda. Gulf countries and Western states financed radical gangs and presented them as 'freedom fighters' for the sake of oil and natural gas accounts. Even today, they continue to present these murderous gangs as 'moderate opposition'. Colani and his administration and those who support them are directly responsible for these massacres."

 

Stating that Alevis cannot remain silent, Sevim Yalıncakoğlu called: "Do not approve this persecution for any reasosn. Do not ignore the violence and the deaths of innocent people! Be the voice of the massacred people. Do not legitimes Colani. Presenting him as a 'peace envoy' is to justify and approve the persecution. What is happening in Syria today is not a 'civil war' but an open genocide attempt against Alevis. No one can distort this reality. Do not whitewash and legitimise the gangs who carried out the attacks. We call on the international community, human rights organizations and everyone with a conscience to take action against the Alevi genocide in Syria."

 

After the statement, a black wreath was left in the area and the demonstration ended.