List of massacres in Turkey


The following is a list of massacres that occurred in Turkey :

Antiquity

Middle Ages

Ottoman Empire

Before 1914

World War I (1914–1918)

Post-World War I (1919–1923)

NameDateLocationDeathsResponsible PartyVictimsNotes
1920Camili and İmamoğlu, Adana VilayetUnknownArmeniansTurksOccurred during Kaç Kaç incident.
Massacre in Marash1920Marash, Aleppo Vilayet4,500ArmeniansTurksThe retribution for the Armenian Genocide served as justification for armed Armenians.
Massacre in Aintab1920-1921Aintab, Aleppo Vilayet6,000-7,000Armenians and FrenchTurks8,000 of the 10,000 houses in town was destroyed by French artillery.
Massacre in BirecikFebruary 11-24, 1920Birecik, Aleppo Vilayet280FrenchTurks70 wounded, many women was raped
June 11, 1920Yeşiloba, Adana Vilayet64+ to 200~ArmeniansTurksReport which was given to Mustafa Kemal Pasha included 43 men, 21 women and tens of children. Other estimates are up to 200.
Massacres after Battle of MarashFebruary 1920Marash, Aleppo Vilayet8,000-12,000TurksArmeniansKilling of Armenian populace in city occurred after its recapture by Turkish National Movement

Republic of Turkey (1923–present)

NameDateLocationDeathsResponsible PartyVictimsNotes
Zilan massacreJuly 1930Van Province4,500–15,000Turkish security forcesSunni Kurds5,000 women, children, and elderly people were reportedly killed
1934 Thrace pogroms21 June-4 July 1934Thrace1Government forcesJewsOver 15.000 Jews had to flee from region
Dersim rebellionSummer 1937-Spring 1938Tunceli Province7,594–13,806Turkish security forcesAlevi KurdsThe killings have been condemned by some as an ethnocide or genocide
6 August 1938Erzincan Province95Turkish villagersKurdish villagers
July 1943Van Province32Turkish SoldiersKurdish villagers32 Turkish villagers were extrajudicially executed by General Mustafa Muğlalı for smuggling livestock, one of them escaped.
Istanbul pogrom6–7 September 1955Istanbul13–30Turkish governmentprimarily Greeks, as well as ArmeniansThe killings are identified as genocidal by Alfred-Maurice de Zayas. Many of the minorities, mostly Greek Christians, forced to leave Turkey. Several churches are demolished by explosives.
Taksim Square massacreMay 1, 1977Taksim Square in Istanbul34-42UnknownLeftist demonstrators
March 1978Ümraniye in Istanbul5Communist Party of Turkey/Marxist–LeninistWorkersVictims was badly tortured
Beyazıt massacreMarch 16, 1978Istanbul7 university students killed, 41 injured ,Grey Wolves, Turkish Police, Deep StateLeftist university studentsCemil Sönmez, Baki Ekiz, Hatice Özen, Abdullah Şimşek, Murat Kurt, Hamdi Akıl and Turan Ören were killed and 41 others were injured by a bomb that was followed by gunfire March 16, 1978.
April 17, 1978Malatya Province8SalafistsAlevi TurksSalafist groups attacked Alevi regions of city after assasination of leaving 8 dead including 3 child and 100 wounded. 1000 shops was looted and destroyed.
Bahçelievler massacreOctober 9, 1978Bahçelievler, Ankara7Neo-fascistsLeftist students
Maraş massacreDecember 19–26, 1978Kahramanmaraş Province109Grey WolvesAlevi Turks and Kurds
May 16, 1979Keçiören in Ankara7Grey WolvesLeftists
Adana massacreSeptember 19, 1979Adana Construction Vocational High School6Communist Party of Turkey/Marxist–LeninistNationalist teachersMüslüm Teke, Yılmaz Kızılay, Davut Korkmaz, Ahmet Güleç, Özcan Doruk and Mustafa Karaca was killed by 2 Leftist men.
Çorum massacreMay–July, 1980Çorum Province57Grey WolvesAlevi Turks
January 23, 1987Uludere in Şırnak Province8 dead, 15 injuredPKKCivilians
Pınarcık massacreJune 20, 1987Pınarcık in Mardin Province30PKK
The Turkish army 		Kurdish civilians
June 11, 1990Güçlükonak in Şırnak Province27 dead, 6 injuredPKKCiviliansIn the massacre, 27 people were killed, 12 were children and 7 were women. 4 village guards died in clashes with PKK members, 1 PKK member was killed.
December 25, 1991Bakırköy in Istanbul11 PKKCiviliansThe PKK attacks a store in the Bakırköy district with Molotov cocktails, resulting in 11 deaths, including 7 women and 1 child.
June 26, 1992Silvan in Diyarbakır Province10PKKCivilians
Cevizdalı massacreOctober 21, 1992Cevizdalı in Bitlis Province30PKKCiviliansCevizdali village of Bitlis was raided during the nighttime, PKK militias killed 30 people, including 8 children, and wounded 20 others. Militias then burned whole the village by the news they received that soldiers are on the way to the village.
Sivas massacre
July 2, 1993Sivas, Turkey35 SalafistsAlevi intellectuals
Başbağlar massacreJuly 5, 1993Başbağlar, near Erzincan33Turkish army/PKK Turkish civilians
Lice massacreOctober 20-23, 1993Lice in Diyarbakır Province30+Turkish Armed ForcesCivilians of Kurdish originTurkish security forces attacked the town of Lice, destroying 401 houses, 242 shops and massacring more than thirty civilians, and leaving one hundred wounded.
October 25, 1993Yavi, Çat, Erzurum Province38PKKTurkish civilians
Kuşkonar massacreMarch 23, 1994Kuskonar, Sirnak38Turkish forcesCivilians of Kurdish originThe government bombed and killed residents of villages who refused to join the government forces. The government spread pictures of dead children in newspapers and blamed the PKK. Turkey was condemned for carrying out the massacre of Kurdish civilians in the ECHR.
Gazi Quarter massacreMarch 15, 1995Istanbul and Ankara23AnonymousAlevi TurksMore than 400 injured
February 15, 1996Güçlükonak in Şırnak province11JİTEM/PKK Civilians
Blue Market massacreMarch 13, 1999Istanbul13 PKKCivilians
December 19, 2000Turkey32 Police forces and soldiersPrisonersDeaths include 30 prisoners and 2 soldiers
Mardin engagement ceremony massacreMay 4, 2009Bilge, Mardin44Village guardsCivilians of Kurdish originReuters said it was "one of the worst attacks involving civilians in Turkey's modern history", declaring that the scale of the attack had shocked the nation.
Roboski airstrikeDecember 28, 2011Uludere, Sirnak34Turkish forcesCivilians of Kurdish originWarplanes killed villagers who had been involved in smuggling gasoline and cigarettes in the area, during an operation meant to target Kurdistan Workers' Party rebels. The government gave no information about the facts.
2016 Atatürk Airport attackJune 28, 2016Atatürk Airport, Istanbul45ISISCivilians
2016 Turkish coup d'état attemptJuly 15–16, 2016Turkey 270–350Turkish forcesCivilians and Military
2017 Istanbul nightclub attackJanuary 1, 2017Istanbul39ISISCivilians

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