28 young people massacred by Turkish soldiers on Bêzar mountain in the Çelikhan district of Adıyaman province in 1994 were commemorated today in a ceremony attended by HDP MPs.  

On 17 May 1994 twenty-eight young people on the way to join the PKK were killed by soldiers on Bêzar mountain, allegedly using chemical weapons.

The commemoration, organised by YAKAY- DER, was attended by hundreds of people, including HDP MPs Sebahat Tuncel, Mülkiye Birtane and Adil Zozani, and Adıyaman candidates Behçet Yıldırım, Ayten Yılmaz and Birsen Tunç and Meya-Der Urfa and Amed representatives. An exhibition of photographs of those who died was on display in a tent put up at the site of the massacre, and the entry to the tent had pictures of PKK members who fell in the struggle. At the commemoration the slogans "Martyrs are immortal", "Long live President Apo" and "There is no life without the president".

YAKAY-DER Adıyaman branch chair Mahmut Elçi spoke at the commemoration, saying: "We commemorate all the May martyrs and bow in respect for their memories.”
 HDP Hakkari MP Adil Zozani said they would continue the struggle of the Bêzar and May martyrs, adding: “We want to live in a peaceful environment where ideas speak, not weapons. This is why the upcoming election is a historic one. We must all do our utmost as we have promised those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.”
The group then went to the Karapınar cemetery, where the 28 were buried, placing carnations on their graves.