Eleven years after the Ankara massacre, the families of the victims and campaigners continue to demand justice, accountability and the truth about the state’s role in one of the deadliest attacks in Turkey’s recent history.
On 10 October 2015, two ISIS suicide bombers attacked a rally for Labour, Peace and Democracy outside Ankara’s main railway station. The bombing killed 103 people and injured hundreds more. The rally had brought together trade unionists, workers, peace activists and members of progressive and democratic organisations calling for peace.
Despite years of campaigning by bereaved families, survivors and civil society organisations, accountability remains deeply inadequate. Only a small number of those involved have faced prosecution, while serious questions about the failures that allowed the attack to take place remain unanswered.
Before the rally, police subjected tens of thousands of participants to individual security checks as they entered the gathering area. Yet the two bombers were allowed to enter the site unhindered and carry out the attack. They had reportedly travelled approximately 1,000 kilometres, passing through police checkpoints along the way.
The Labour Party (EMEP), which lost 16 of its members in the massacre, has continued to stand alongside the victims’ families in their pursuit of accountability. In a joint statement, the party and the families declared:
“The state paved the way for this massacre. We will continue our struggle until those within the state who bear responsibility are brought to justice.”
The political context surrounding the massacre has also remained a source of deep anger. The then AKP prime minister, stated that the party’s votes increased as bombs exploded. These remarks evidence the cynical political calculations surrounding the violence. The circumstances of the attack and the failures of the authorities continue to fuel demands for a full investigation into political and institutional responsibility.
For the families who lost loved ones, the struggle has never been simply about remembering those who died. It is about justice and holding those responsible to account and ensuring that such an atrocity is never repeated.
Eleven years on, their demand remains clear: remembrance without justice is not enough. Those responsible must be held accountable, and the questions surrounding the Ankara massacre must not be allowed to disappear from public view.
