The governor of Turkey’s eastern province of Kahramanmaraş has announced a ban on any commemorative events for the victims of a massacre that took place 40 years ago in the province, the Diken news website reported on Friday.
At least 111 Alevis in Kahramanmaraş were killed by right-wing extremists between Dec 19 and 24, 1978. The incident is referred to as the Maraş massacre.
The office of the governor cited not disrupting the public order as the reason for the ban, which will be in force until the end of the month.
Similarly, last year the governor had banned all public events, gatherings and commemorative events days before the 39th anniversary of the massacre.
The governor said the decision was made due to an ongoing state of emergency declared following a July 15, 2016 coup attempt in Turkey.