Turkey asked to reopen hotel fire probe

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ANKARA, Turkey, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- Turkey's leader is being asked to demand a presidential investigation of the 1993 Madimak hotel massacre that killed 37 people.

Representatives of 18 nongovernmental organizations met with President Abdullah Gul to urge him to call for a probe by the State Audit Institution (DDK), Turkey's Today's Zaman newspaper reported Wednesday.

The groups want the DDK to investigate the autopsy reports of the victims and even exhume their bodies if necessary.

The 1993 massacre began when an angry mob set fire to the Madimak hotel in downtown Silvas where participants attending a literary conference.

Among those attending the conference was author Aziz Nesin who had translated Salman Rushdie's novel "The Satanic Verses."

Dozens of people were put on trial in the Madimak case but it had to be dropped earlier this year due to the statute of limitations. The move sparked public outrage.