A commemoration ceremony was held in Kirkuk, Iraq, for the Turkmens who were massacred by Communist Party members 67 years ago.
ITF President Muhammed Seman Ağa, Kirkuk Deputy Erşat Salihi, Turkmen political party representatives and families of the martyrs attended the commemoration ceremony held by the Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITC) in a meeting hall in Kirkuk.
Speaking at the ceremony, ITC Chairman Ağa said that although they are very loyal to their country, flag and land, Turkmens have been subjected to massacres and forced migration in the last hundred years.
Stating that Turkmens were mostly ignored by subsequent governments and administrations, Ağa stated that they remember with gratitude those who lost their lives in the Kirkuk Massacre of July 14, 1959.
Emphasizing that despite all this, Turkmens remained loyal to Iraq and did not betray this land, Ağa continued as follows:
"Turkmens have been paying the price for preserving the territorial integrity of the country since the establishment of the Republic of Iraq in 1921. Turkmens are a nation that has been loyal to its land throughout history."
Stating that the injustices committed against the Turkmens today are a continuation of the previous massacres, Ağa stated that the Turkmens will remain loyal to their homeland despite everything.
"Turkmens will continue to survive in the same way they have survived, with their traditions and customs inherited from their ancestors, and by protecting their flag and land." Ağa stated that the country is sacred for Turkmens.
After the ceremony, a wreath was laid and prayers were said at the martyrs' monument in the Turkmen Martyrs' cemetery in the Ahmet Ağa district in the city center of Kirkuk.
Hundreds of Turkmens who attended the event held in Kirkuk on the first anniversary of the declaration of the republic on July 14, 1959, were killed by members of the Communist Party of Kurdish origin at the time.
The incident in question went down in Turkmen political history as the "14 July Kirkuk Massacre".