The Ankara train station massacre’s 10th Anniversary: The mourning has not ended

Bilge Su Yıldırım

Today, 10 October, marks the 10th anniversary of the Ankara Train Station Massacre, the deadliest terror attack in the history of the Republic. At the Labour, Peace, and Democracy Rally, organised to demand peace, two ISIS suicide bombers killed 104 people and injured more than 500. Ten years have passed since the massacre. Over the past decade, the country’s political landscape has been transformed, repressive policies have hardened, and attacks on democracy have deepened. Ten years later, this massacre stands out as a “cornerstone” in the construction of the one-man regime, a turning point on the road toward authoritarianism.

THE COUNTRY DRAGGED INTO A SPIRAL OF VIOLENCE

In the 7 June 2015 elections, the AKP failed for the first time since 2002 to form a government on its own. President Erdoğan blocked the possibility of a coalition and pushed for another election on 1 November. Between 7 June and 1 November, the country was dragged into an organised darkness and a spiral of violence.

On 17 July, Erdoğan declared that he did not recognise the Dolmabahçe Agreement, officially ending the Peace Process. On 20 July, in Suruç, Şanlıurfa, the first of the successive terrorist attacks between June and November took place. Members of the Socialist Youth Associations Federation (SGDF), who had gathered to send aid to Kobani, were targeted in a suicide bombing by ISIS, killing 33 people and wounding more than 100. The spiral of violence, whose fuse was lit by the Suruç Massacre, grew systematically until 1 November. As clashes between the PKK and security forces intensified, Erdoğan cited the climate of uncertainty as justification for holding new elections on 26 August. While conflict spread, attacks were carried out against HDP buildings across the country on 8 September.

The political uncertainty, deepened by escalating violence, eventually led to 10 October. After the massacre, it was revealed that the General Directorate of Security had been informed that two ISIS suicide bombers would carry out an attack. The police and the National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) had received 62 separate intelligence reports about the planned assault. One of the bombers was identified as Yunus Emre Alagöz, who had also carried out the Suruç attack; the other was his brother, Seyh Abdurrahman Alagöz.

It became clear that the state, through its security apparatus, had effectively “allowed the path” for the massacre. Afterwards, even government officials made admissions. Then-Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said their vote share had increased following the massacre. Later, after being forced to resign and founding his own party, he said: “If the files on counterterrorism are ever opened, many people will not be able to show their faces. When the history of the Republic is written one day, one of its most critical periods will be recorded as the time between 7 June and 1 November.”

AKP WON, BUT THE BLOODSHED DID NOT END

Following the 10 October massacre, ISIS continued a wave of terror attacks in the country. As Davutoğlu himself noted, the results of the 1 November elections reflected this climate: after five months of terror and violence, the AKP regained its parliamentary majority with 49.5% of the vote. But the violence did not stop after 1 November. With the collapse of the peace process, the PKK resumed its bomb attacks, and clashes with security forces intensified. At the same time, ISIS continued its acts of terror.

In the aftermath of this atmosphere, the AKP also pursued a “social engineering” project. One year after the massacre came the 15 July coup attempt. After that, MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli reignited discussions on the presidential system. On 11 October 2016, he declared that Erdoğan was violating the constitution by campaigning for the AKP and acting as a “de facto president,” calling for a change in the regime. His proposal found support within the AKP, and the constitutional amendment paving the way for the presidential system was submitted to Parliament in December 2016.

On 16 April 2017, during the referendum, while the voting process was still ongoing, the Supreme Election Council (YSK) announced that ballot papers without official seals would be counted as valid. Following this decision, the regime change was pushed through with 51% “yes” to 48% “no,” effectively “crossing the line.” The YSK rejected the appeal to annul the referendum, claiming that “uncertified ballots did not affect the result.” Thus, through terror, repression, the coup attempt, and finally the intervention of the judiciary in favour of the AKP, the country was dragged step by step into a regime change.

WE WILL OVERCOME THIS DARKNESS TOGETHER

The LEFT Party issued a statement marking the 10 October massacre as a crucial breaking point in the transition to the Islamist-fascist regime: “Beginning with Gezi, the growing social will emerged as a powerful force of resistance against Islamist fascism in the results of the 7 June elections. This is why ISIS, a tool of US imperialism, directly targeted this united social power. Amid this sea of blood, repression, and tyranny, hope still stands tall. Greetings to all who resisted under every circumstance on and after 10 October, together we will defeat this darkness.”

THE RIGHT TO LIFE OF 9-YEAR-OLD VEYSEL HAS NOT BEEN VIOLATED!

The Constitutional Court (AYM) ruled, one day before the 10th anniversary of the massacre, that the right to life of 9-year-old Veysel Atılgan, who lost his life in the explosion, had not been violated. In its reasoning, the Court stated that the allegations of violations of the right to life and other rights were “clearly unfounded.” The Atılgan family had applied to the Constitutional Court.

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THOSE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES WILL BE COMMEMORATED ACROSS THE COUNTRY

On the 10th anniversary of the massacre, commemorations will be held across the country for those who lost their lives.

• Ankara: Commemoration in front of the TCDD Station, at the time of the explosion, 10:04
March from the station to Ankara Courthouse, 10:30

• İstanbul: In front of the Bull Statue in Kadıköy, 19:00

• İzmir: Alsancak 10 October Massacre Memorial, 09:30

• Eskişehir: In front of the Ulus Monument, 18:30

Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Ankara Gar Katliamı’nın 10’uncu yılı: Yas dinmedi, published in BirGün newspaper on October 10, 2025.