Three decades have gone by since more than 30 civilians were killed in eastern Türkiye in a brutal attack that has come to define criminality of the PKK, a terrorist group. Its memory still lingers on.
On July 5th, 1993, heavily armed PKK terrorists attacked the Basbaglar village in the Erzincan province. They executed 33 villagers and set fire to houses and other belongings of the villagers.
The relatives and friends of those who were killed on the fateful day have refused to let the memories of their loved ones fade away.
Every year, hordes of people visit the Basbaglar Museum and Cultural House to pay their respectives to the victims. The museum, which was opened to the public in 2013, has preserved the pictures and everyday-use items of the victims - someone’s shoes, someone else’s dress.
Every July 5, a commemoration ceremony takes place at the museum in the village, where the families of the victims share the stories of their grief and loss.
PKK, which is recognised as a terrorist organisation by Türkiye, the United States and European Union, has staged bloody attacks against the Turkish state and civilians, killing tens of thousands of people.
Along with its Syria-based affiliate, the YPG, the terror group continues to target Turkish security forces and civilians both in Türkiye and Syria.
While the group is prohibited and Ankara has raised its concerns on the global stage for years, PKK supporters continue to hold rallies and raise funds in European countries including Sweden.
As Türkiye marks the 30th anniversary of the Basbaglar massacre, here’s a look back at what happened.
A dark day
The tranquility of Basbaglar was shattered on July 5, 1993, when around 100 armed PKK terrorists attacked the small village.
For more than an hour, PKK tortured and brutalized the villagers, lining up and executing dozens at the village square and burning alive others. Even women were not spared.
It was a well-planned attack as PKK terrorists had cut telephone and electricity cables, severing Basbaglar from the rest of the country. No one knew what had happened until people from a neighbouring village went out to check what had happened.
It was told by witnesses that the PKK members made a separatist propaganda first by reading their manifesto and chanting the slogans, and then they shot the people.
PKK’s main aim was to stoke ethnic and sectarian tensions between different communities who have lived peacefully together for centuries.
After killing scores, PKK terrorists went on torching more than 190 houses, a mosque, community center and even a school.
A year later, the group killed 33 unarmed army conscripts in Bingol. The PKK took responsibility for the attack.
The terror continues
PKK, which has been carrying out violent attacks since the mid-1980s, has been behind several suicide bomb attacks which have targeted civilians.
It has established an operational base in neighbouring Iraq where PKK has moved around freely amidst a security vacuum that was created following the US-led overthrow of Saddam Hussain’s rule.
Similarly, the PKK and YPG have cemented their foothold in Syria. The US continues to see YPG as an ally against Daesh despite Ankara’s concerns.
But the PKK has been on the run in recent years as Türkiye has developed and deployed advanced weapons including drones to intercept movement of its members, especially in northern Iraq.
