Armenian Genocide 1915 causes. Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire

Mass extermination and deportation of the Armenian population of Western Armenia, Cilicia and other provinces of the Ottoman Empire was carried out by the ruling circles of Turkey in 1915-1923. The policy of genocide against the Armenians was determined by a number of factors. The leading importance among them was the ideology of Pan-Islamism and Pan-Turkism, which was professed by the ruling circles of the Ottoman Empire. The militant ideology of pan-Islamism was characterized by intolerance towards non-Muslims, preached outright chauvinism, and called for the Turkification of all non-Turkish peoples. Entering the war, the Young Turk government of the Ottoman Empire made far-reaching plans for the creation of “Great Turan”. It was meant to annex Transcaucasia and the North to the empire. Caucasus, Crimea, Volga region, Central Asia. On the way to this goal, the aggressors had to put an end to, first of all, the Armenian people, who opposed the aggressive plans of the Pan-Turkists.

The Young Turks began to develop plans for the destruction of the Armenian population even before the start of the World War. The decisions of the Congress of the Party "Unity and Progress" (Ittihad ve Terakki), held in October 1911 in Thessaloniki, contained a demand for the Turkification of the non-Turkish peoples of the empire. Following this, the political and military circles of Turkey came to the decision to carry out the genocide of Armenians throughout the Ottoman Empire. At the beginning of 1914, a special order was sent to local authorities regarding the measures that were to be taken against the Armenians. The fact that the order was sent out before the start of the war irrefutably indicates that the extermination of the Armenians was a planned action, not at all determined by a specific military situation.

The leadership of the Unity and Progress party has repeatedly discussed the issue of mass deportation and massacre of the Armenian population. In September 1914, at a meeting chaired by the Minister of Internal Affairs Talaat, a special body was formed - the Executive Committee of Three, which was tasked with organizing the beating of the Armenian population; it included the leaders of the Young Turks Nazim, Behaetdin Shakir and Shukri. When plotting a monstrous crime, the leaders of the Young Turks took into account that the war provided an opportunity to carry it out. Nazim directly stated that such an opportunity may no longer exist, “the intervention of the great powers and the protest of the newspapers will not have any consequences, since they will face a fait accompli, and thereby the issue will be resolved... Our actions must be directed to exterminate the Armenians so that not a single one of them remains alive."

By undertaking the extermination of the Armenian population, the ruling circles of Turkey intended to achieve several goals: the elimination of the Armenian Question, which would put an end to the intervention of European powers; the Turks would get rid of economic competition, all the property of the Armenians would pass into their hands; the elimination of the Armenian people will help pave the way for the capture of the Caucasus, to achieve the “great ideal of Turanism.” The executive committee of the three received broad powers, weapons, and money. The authorities organized special detachments such as “Teshkilat and Makhsuse,” which consisted mainly of criminals released from prison and other criminal elements who were supposed to take part in the mass extermination of Armenians.

From the very first days of the war, rabid anti-Armenian propaganda unfolded in Turkey. The Turkish people were told that Armenians did not want to serve in the Turkish army, that they were ready to cooperate with the enemy. Fabrications were spread about the mass desertion of Armenians from the Turkish army, about uprisings of Armenians that threatened the rear of the Turkish troops, etc.

Unbridled chauvinistic propaganda against the Armenians especially intensified after the first serious defeats of the Turkish troops on the Caucasian front. In February 1915, War Minister Enver gave the order to exterminate Armenians serving in the Turkish army. At the beginning of the war, about 60 thousand Armenians aged 18-45 were drafted into the Turkish army, i.e. the most combat-ready part of the male population. This order was carried out with unprecedented cruelty.

From May - June 1915, mass deportation and massacre of the Armenian population of Western Armenia (vilayets of Van, Erzurum, Bitlis, Kharberd, Sebastia, Diyarbekir), Cilicia, Western Anatolia and other areas began. The ongoing deportation of the Armenian population in fact pursued the goal of its destruction. The real goals of the deportation were also known to Germany, Turkey's ally. The German consul in Trebizond in July 1915 reported on the deportation of Armenians in this vilayet and noted that the Young Turks intended to put an end to the Armenian Question.

The Armenians removed from their places of permanent residence were brought into caravans that headed deep into the empire, to Mesopotamia and Syria, where special camps were created for them. Armenians were destroyed both in their places of residence and on the way to exile; their caravans were attacked by Turkish rabble, Kurdish bandits eager for prey. As a result, a small part of the deported Armenians reached their destinations. But even those who reached the deserts of Mesopotamia were not safe; There are known cases when deported Armenians were taken out of the camps and slaughtered by the thousands in the desert.

The lack of basic sanitary conditions, hunger, and epidemics caused the death of hundreds of thousands of people. The actions of the Turkish pogromists were characterized by unprecedented cruelty. The leaders of the Young Turks demanded this. Thus, the Minister of Internal Affairs Talaat, in a secret telegram sent to the governor of Aleppo, demanded an end to the existence of Armenians, not to pay any attention to age, gender, or remorse. This requirement was strictly fulfilled. Eyewitnesses of the events, Armenians who survived the horrors of deportation and genocide, left numerous descriptions of the incredible suffering that befell the Armenian population. Most of the Armenian population of Cilicia was also subjected to barbaric extermination. The massacre of Armenians continued in subsequent years. Thousands of Armenians were exterminated, driven to the southern regions of the Ottoman Empire and kept in the camps of Ras-ul-Ain, Deir ez-Zor and others. The Young Turks sought to carry out the genocide of Armenians in Eastern Armenia, where, in addition to the local population, large numbers of refugees from Western Armenia. Having committed aggression against Transcaucasia in 1918, Turkish troops carried out pogroms and massacres of Armenians in many areas of Eastern Armenia and Azerbaijan. Having occupied Baku in September 1918, the Turkish interventionists, together with the Caucasian Tatars, organized a terrible massacre of the local Armenian population, killing 30 thousand people. As a result of the Armenian genocide, carried out by the Young Turks in 1915-16 alone, 1.5 million people died. About 600 thousand Armenians became refugees; they scattered throughout many countries of the world, replenishing existing ones and forming new Armenian communities. The Armenian Diaspora (Spyurk) was formed. As a result of the genocide, Western Armenia lost its original population. The leaders of the Young Turks did not hide their satisfaction at the successful implementation of the planned atrocity: German diplomats in Turkey reported to their government that already in August 1915, the Minister of Internal Affairs Talaat cynically declared that “actions against the Armenians have been largely carried out and the Armenian Question no longer exists.”

The relative ease with which the Turkish pogromists managed to carry out the genocide of the Armenians of the Ottoman Empire is partly explained by the unpreparedness of the Armenian population, as well as the Armenian political parties, for the looming threat of extermination. The actions of the pogromists were greatly facilitated by the mobilization of the most combat-ready part of the Armenian population - men - into the Turkish army, as well as the liquidation of the Armenian intelligentsia of Constantinople. A certain role was also played by the fact that in some public and clerical circles of Western Armenians they believed that disobedience to the Turkish authorities, who gave orders for deportation, could only lead to an increase in the number of victims.

However, in some areas the Armenian population offered stubborn resistance to the Turkish vandals. The Armenians of Van, resorting to self-defense, successfully repelled the enemy’s attacks and held the city in their hands until the arrival of Russian troops and Armenian volunteers. The Armenians of Shapin Garakhisar, Musha, Sasun, and Shatakh offered armed resistance to the many times superior enemy forces. The epic of the defenders of Mount Musa in Suetia lasted for forty days. The self-defense of the Armenians in 1915 is a heroic page in the national liberation struggle of the people.

During the aggression against Armenia in 1918, the Turks, having occupied Karaklis, carried out a massacre of the Armenian population, killing several thousand people. In September 1918, Turkish troops occupied Baku and, together with Azerbaijani nationalists, organized the massacre of the local Armenian population.

During the Turkish-Armenian War of 1920, Turkish troops occupied Alexandropol. Continuing the policies of their predecessors, the Young Turks, the Kemalists sought to organize genocide in Eastern Armenia, where, in addition to the local population, masses of refugees from Western Armenia had accumulated. In Alexandropol and the villages of the district, the Turkish occupiers committed atrocities, destroyed the peaceful Armenian population, and plundered property. The Revolutionary Committee of Soviet Armenia received information about the excesses of the Kemalists. One of the reports said: “About 30 villages were cut out in the Alexandropol district and Akhalkalaki region; some of those who managed to escape are in the most dire situation.” Other messages described the situation in the villages of the Alexandropol district: “All the villages have been robbed, there is no shelter, no grain, no clothing, no fuel. The streets of the villages are overflowing with corpses. All this is complemented by hunger and cold, claiming one victim after another... In addition, the askers and the hooligans mock their prisoners and try to punish the people with even more brutal means, rejoicing and getting pleasure from it. They subject parents to various tortures, force them to hand over their 8-9 year old girls to the executioners..."

In January 1921, the government of Soviet Armenia expressed a protest to the Commissioner for Foreign Affairs of Turkey due to the fact that Turkish troops in the Alexandropol district were committing “continuous violence, robberies and murders against the peaceful working population...”. Tens of thousands of Armenians became victims of the atrocities of the Turkish occupiers. The invaders also caused enormous material damage to the Alexandropol district.

In 1918-20, the city of Shushi, the center of Karabakh, became the scene of pogroms and massacres of the Armenian population. In September 1918, Turkish troops, supported by the Azerbaijani Musavatists, moved towards Shushi, ravaging Armenian villages along the way and destroying their population; on September 25, 1918, Turkish troops occupied Shushi. But soon, after Turkey’s defeat in the First World War, they were forced to leave it. On Dec. 1918 The British entered Shushi. Soon the Musavatist Khosrov-bek Sultanov was appointed governor-general of Karabakh. With the help of Turkish military instructors, he formed Kurdish shock troops, which, together with units of the Musavat army, were stationed in the Armenian part of Shushi. The forces of the pogromists were constantly replenished, and there were many Turkish officers in the city. In June 1919, the first pogroms of the Armenians of Shushi took place; On the night of June 5, at least 500 Armenians were killed in the city and surrounding villages. On March 23, 1920, Turkish-Musavat gangs committed a terrible pogrom against the Armenian population of Shushi, killing over 30 thousand people and setting the Armenian part of the city on fire.

The Armenians of Cilicia, who survived the genocide of 1915-16 and found refuge in other countries, began to return to their homeland after the defeat of Turkey. According to the division of zones of influence determined by the allies, Cilicia was included in the sphere of influence of France. In 1919, 120-130 thousand Armenians lived in Cilicia; The return of Armenians continued, and by 1920 their number reached 160 thousand. The command of the French troops located in Cilicia did not take measures to ensure the safety of the Armenian population; Turkish authorities remained in place, Muslims were not disarmed. The Kemalists took advantage of this and began massacres of the Armenian population. In January 1920, during 20-day pogroms, 11 thousand Armenian residents of Mavash died, the rest of the Armenians went to Syria. Soon the Turks besieged Ajn, where the Armenian population by this time numbered barely 6 thousand people. The Armenians of Ajn put up stubborn resistance to the Turkish troops, which lasted 7 months, but in October the Turks managed to take the city. About 400 Ajna defenders managed to break through the siege and escape.

At the beginning of 1920, the remnants of the Armenian population of Urfa - about 6 thousand people - moved to Aleppo.

On April 1, 1920, Kemalist troops besieged Aintap. Thanks to a 15-day heroic defense, the Ayntap Armenians escaped massacre. But after the French troops left Cilicia, the Armenians of Aintap moved to Syria at the end of 1921. In 1920, the Kemalists destroyed the remnants of the Armenian population of Zeytun. That is, the Kemalists completed the destruction of the Armenian population of Cilicia, begun by the Young Turks.

The last episode of the tragedy of the Armenian people was the massacre of Armenians in the western regions of Turkey during the Greco-Turkish War of 1919-22. In August-September 1921, Turkish troops achieved a turning point in the military operations and launched a general offensive against the Greek troops. On September 9, the Turks broke into Izmir and committed a massacre of the Greek and Armenian population. The Turks sank the ships stationed in the harbor of Izmir, which were carrying Armenian and Greek refugees, mostly women, old people, children...

The Armenian genocide was carried out by the Turkish governments. They are the main culprits of the monstrous crime of the first genocide of the twentieth century. The Armenian genocide carried out in Turkey caused enormous damage to the material and spiritual culture of the Armenian people.

In 1915-23 and subsequent years, thousands of Armenian manuscripts stored in Armenian monasteries were destroyed, hundreds of historical and architectural monuments were destroyed, and the shrines of the people were desecrated. The destruction of historical and architectural monuments in Turkey and the appropriation of many cultural values ​​of the Armenian people continue to this day. The tragedy experienced by the Armenian people affected all aspects of the life and social behavior of the Armenian people and firmly settled in their historical memory. The impact of the genocide was felt both by the generation that was a direct victim and by subsequent generations.

Progressive public opinion around the world condemned the heinous crime of the Turkish pogromists, who tried to destroy one of the most ancient civilized peoples in the world. Social and political figures, scientists, cultural figures from many countries branded the genocide, qualifying it as a grave crime against humanity, and took part in providing humanitarian assistance to the Armenian people, in particular to refugees who have found refuge in many countries of the world. After Turkey's defeat in the First World War, the leaders of the Young Turk party were accused of dragging Turkey into a disastrous war and put on trial. Among the charges brought against war criminals was an accusation of organizing and carrying out the massacre of Armenians of the Ottoman Empire. However, the death sentence against a number of Young Turk leaders was pronounced in absentia, because after the defeat of Turkey they managed to flee the country. The death sentence against some of them (Taliat, Behaetdin Shakir, Jemal Pasha, Said Halim, etc.) was subsequently carried out by the Armenian people's avengers.

After the Second World War, genocide was qualified as the gravest crime against humanity. The legal documents on genocide were based on the basic principles developed by the international military tribunal in Nuremberg, which tried the main war criminals of Nazi Germany. Subsequently, the UN adopted a number of decisions regarding genocide, the main of which are the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948) and the Convention on the Inapplicability of the Statute of Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity, adopted in 1968.

In 1989, the Supreme Council of the Armenian SSR adopted a law on genocide, which condemned the genocide of Armenians in Western Armenia and Turkey as a crime against humanity. The Supreme Council of the Armenian SSR appealed to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR with a request to make a decision condemning the Armenian genocide in Turkey. The Declaration of Independence of Armenia, adopted by the Supreme Council of the Armenian SSR on August 23, 1990, declares that “The Republic of Armenia supports the cause of international recognition of the Armenian genocide of 1915 in Ottoman Turkey and Western Armenia.”

In 1915, there were 2 million Armenians living in the weakened Ottoman Empire. But under the cover of World War I, the Turkish government systematically exterminated 1.5 million people in an attempt to unite the entire Turkish people, creating a new empire with one language and one religion.

The ethnic cleansing of Armenians and other minorities, including Assyrians, Pontic and Anatolian Greeks, is today known as the Armenian Genocide.

Despite pressure from Armenians and activists around the world, Turkey still refuses to recognize the genocide, saying there was no deliberate killing of Armenians.

History of the region

Armenians have lived in the southern Caucasus since the 7th century BC and competed for control over other groups such as the Mongol, Russian, Turkish and Persian empires. In the 4th century, the reigning king of Armenia became a Christian. He claimed that the official religion of the empire was Christianity, although in the 7th century AD all the countries surrounding Armenia were Muslim. Armenians continued to practice as Christians despite being conquered many times and forced to live under harsh rule.

The roots of the genocide lie in the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. At the turn of the 20th century, the once widespread Ottoman Empire was crumbling at the edges. The Ottoman Empire lost all of its territory in Europe during the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, creating instability among nationalist ethnic groups.

First massacre

At the turn of the century, tensions grew between the Armenians and the Turkish authorities. Sultan Abdel Hamid II, known as the "Bloody Sultan", told a reporter in 1890: "I will give them a box on their ear that will make them give up their revolutionary ambitions."

In 1894, the "box on the ear" massacre became the first of the Armenian massacres. Ottoman soldiers and civilians attacked Armenian villages in Eastern Anatolia, killing 8,000 Armenians, including children. A year later, 2,500 Armenian women were burned in the Urfa Cathedral. Around the same time, a group of 5,000 people were killed after demonstrations asking for international intervention to prevent massacres in Constantinople. Historians estimate that by 1896, more than 80,000 Armenians had died.

Rise of the Young Turks

In 1909, the Ottoman Sultan was overthrown by a new political group, the Young Turks, a group seeking a modern, Westernized style of government. At first, Armenians hoped that they would have a place in the new state, but they soon realized that the new government was xenophobic and exclusionary of the multi-ethnic Turkish society. To consolidate Turkish rule in the remaining territories of the Ottoman Empire, the Young Turks developed a secret program to exterminate the Armenian population.

World War I

In 1914, the Turks entered World War I on the side of Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The outbreak of war will provide an excellent opportunity to resolve the “Armenian question” once and for all.

How the Armenian genocide began in 1915

Military leaders accused the Armenians of supporting the Allies on the assumption that the people were naturally sympathetic to Christian Russia. Consequently, the Turks disarmed the entire Armenian population. Turkish suspicion of the Armenian people led the government to insist on the "removal" of Armenians from war zones along the Eastern Front.

Transmitted in coded telegrams, the mandate to exterminate the Armenians came directly from the Young Turks. On the evening of April 24, 1915, armed attacks began as 300 Armenian intellectuals—political leaders, educators, writers, and religious leaders in Constantinople—were forcibly removed from their homes, tortured, then hanged or shot.

The death march killed approximately 1.5 million Armenians, covering hundreds of miles and lasting several months. Indirect routes through desert areas were specifically chosen to prolong marches and keep caravans in Turkish villages.

After the disappearance of the Armenian population, the Muslim Turks quickly took over whatever was left. The Turks destroyed the remains of the Armenian cultural heritage, including masterpieces of ancient architecture, old libraries and archives. The Turks leveled entire cities, including the once prosperous Kharpert, Van and the ancient capital at Ani, to remove all traces of three thousand years of civilization.

No allied power came to the aid of the Armenian Republic, and it collapsed. The only tiny part of historical Armenia that survived was the easternmost region, because it became part of the Soviet Union. The Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the University of Minnesota compiled data by province and area, showing that in 1914 there were 2,133,190 Armenians in the empire, but by 1922 there were only about 387,800.

A Failed Call to Arms in the West

At the time, international whistleblowers and national diplomats recognized the atrocities committed as crimes against humanity.

Leslie Davis, the US consul in Harput, noted: "These women and children were driven out of the desert in midsummer, robbed and plundered of what they had... after which all who were not killed were meanwhile killed near the city."

The Swedish ambassador to Peru, Gustaf August Kossva Ankarsvard, wrote in a letter in 1915: “The persecution of the Armenians has reached dragging proportions, and everything indicates that the young Turks want to take advantage of this opportunity ... [to put an end to the Armenian question. The means for this are quite simple and consist in the destruction of the Armenian people."

Even Henry Morgenthau, the US Ambassador to Armenia, noted: “When the Turkish authorities ordered these deportations, they were simply giving a death sentence to an entire race.”

The New York Times also covered the issue extensively—145 articles in 1915—with the headlines “Appeal to Turkey to Stop the Massacre.” The newspaper described the actions against the Armenians as "systematic, 'sanctioned' and 'organized by the government.'

The Allied Powers (Britain, France and Russia) responded to news of the massacres by issuing a warning to Turkey: "The Allied Governments announce publicly that they will hold all members of the Ottoman Government, as well as their agents like them, personally responsible for such matters." The warning had no effect.

Because Ottoman law prohibited photography of Armenian deportees, photographic documentation documenting the severity of ethnic cleansing is rare. In an act of defiance, German military mission officers documented the atrocities occurring in the concentration camps. Although many of the photographs were intercepted by Ottoman intelligence, lost in Germany during World War II or forgotten in dusty boxes, the Armenian Genocide Museum of America has captured some of these photographs in online export.

Recognition of the Armenian Genocide

Today, Armenians commemorate those who died during the genocide on April 24, the day in 1915 when several hundred Armenian intellectuals and professionals were arrested and executed as the beginning of the genocide.

In 1985, the United States named the day "National Day of Remembrance of Human Inhumanity to Man" in honor of all victims of genocide, especially the one and a half million people of Armenian descent who were victims of the genocide committed in Turkey."

Today, recognition of the Armenian Genocide is a hot issue as Turkey criticizes scholars for punishing deaths and blaming Turks for deaths that the government says were due to famine and the brutality of war. In fact, speaking of the Armenian genocide in Turkey, it is punishable by law. As of 2014, 21 countries in total have publicly or legally recognized this ethnic cleansing in Armenia as genocide.

In 2014, on the eve of the 99th anniversary of the genocide, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed condolences to the Armenian people and said: “The incidents of the First World War are our common pain.”

However, many believe the proposals are useless until Turkey recognizes the loss of 1.5 million people as genocide. In response to Erdogan’s proposal, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said: “The refusal to commit a crime is a direct continuation of this very crime. Only recognition and conviction can prevent such crimes from happening again in the future.”

Ultimately, recognition of this genocide is not only important for the elimination of the affected ethnic groups, but also for the development of Turkey as a democratic state. If the past is denied, genocide still occurs. In 2010, a Swedish Parliament Resolution stated that "genocide denial is widely accepted as the final stage of genocide, perpetuating impunity for genocide perpetrators and apparently paving the way for future genocides."

Countries that do not recognize the Armenian genocide

Countries that recognize the Armenian genocide are those that officially accept the systematic mass murder and forced deportation of Armenians carried out by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923.

Although historical and academic institutions of Holocaust and genocide studies accept the Armenian Genocide, many countries refuse to do so in order to maintain their political relations with the Republic of Turkey. Azerbaijan and Turkey are the only countries that refuse to recognize the Armenian Genocide and threaten economic and diplomatic consequences for those who do so.

The Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex was built in 1967 on Tsitsernakaberd Hill in Yerevan. The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, opened in 1995, presents facts about the horror of massacres.

Turkey has been urged to recognize the Armenian Genocide several times, but the sad fact is that the government denies the word "genocide" as an accurate term for massacres.

Facts about countries recognizing the Armenian Genocide, memorial and criminalization of denial

On May 25, 1915, the Entente authorities issued a statement stating that employees of the Ottoman government who participated in the Armenian Genocide would be personally responsible for crimes against humanity. Parliaments of several countries began to recognize this event as genocide from the second half of the 20th century.

The left-leaning and green Turkish political party, the Green Left Party, is the only one that recognizes the Armenian Genocide in the country.

Uruguay became the first country to recognize in 1965, and then in 2004.

Cyprus was the country that recognized the Armenian genocide: first in 1975, 1982 and 1990. Moreover, she became the first to raise this issue at the UN General Assembly. Denial of the Armenian Genocide is also criminalized in Cyprus.

France also criminalized denial of the Armenian Genocide in 2016, having recognized it in 1998 and 2001. Following the passage of the bill, which was criminalized on October 14, 2016, it was adopted by the French National Assembly in July 2017. It carries a penalty of a year in prison or a fine of 45,000 euros.

Greece recognized the event as genocide in 1996 and, according to the 2014 act, failure to punish is punishable by up to three years' imprisonment and a fine not to exceed 30,000 euros.

Countries that recognize the Armenian Genocide: Switzerland and memorial laws

Switzerland recognized the Armenian Genocide in 2003, making denial a crime. Doğu Perinçek, a Turkish politician, lawyer and chairman of the left-wing nationalist Patriotic Party, became the first person to be criminally charged with denouncing the Armenian Genocide. The decision was made by a Swiss court in 2007.

The Perinze affair was a result of his portrayal of the Armenian Genocide as an international lie in Lausanne in 2005. His case was appealed to the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights. His decision was in his favor on freedom of speech grounds. According to the court: "Mr Perinček made a speech of a historical, legal and political nature in a controversial debate."

Although he was sentenced to life in prison in August 2013, he was eventually released in 2014. After his release, he joined the Justice and Development Party and Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Facts about countries recognizing the Armenian Genocide and memorial

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg announced recognition of the Armenian Genocide in 2015 after the Chamber of Deputies unanimously adopted a resolution.

Brazil's decision to recognize the massacres was approved by the Federal Senate.

As for Bolivia, the resolution recognizing genocide was unanimously approved by the Senate and Chamber of Deputies, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Bulgaria became another country to recognize the Armenian Genocide in 2015, but criticism followed. On April 24, 2015, the phrase “mass extermination of the Armenian people in the Ottoman Empire” was used in Bulgaria. They were criticized for not using the term "genocide". Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov stated that the phrase or idiom is the Bulgarian word for "genocide".

Germany has announced its recognition twice: in 2005 and 2016. The resolution was first adopted in 2016. That same year in July, the German Bundestag gave her only one vote against the event called "genocide".

10 facts about the Armenian genocide in 1915

Today, the Turkish government still denies that the massacre of approximately 1.5 million Armenians constituted a “genocide.” This is despite the fact that numerous scholarly articles and proclamations from respected historians have testified that the events leading up to the massacres, as well as the manner in which the Armenians were killed, irrevocably make this moment in history one of the first Holocausts.

1. According to history, the Turkish people deny the genocide, saying: "The Armenians were an enemy force... and their massacre was a necessary military measure."

The "war" being referred to is World War I, and the events leading up to the Armenian genocide - which were at the forefront of the history of the Holocaust - which preceded World War I by over 20 years.

One prominent Turkish politician, Doğu Perinçek, came under fire for his denial of the Armenian Genocide while visiting Switzerland in 2008. According to The Telegraph, a Swiss court fined Perzcek after he called the genocide an “international lie.” He appealed the charge in 2013 and the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the Swiss court's charges "violated the right to freedom of expression."

Amal Clooney (yes, the new Ms. George Clooney) has now joined the legal team that will represent Armenia in challenging this appeal. According to The Telegraph, Clooney will be joined by her head of chambers, Geoffrey Robertson QC, who is also the author of the October 2014 book An Inconvenient Genocide: Who Remembers the Armenians Now?

Publishers Random House said the book "... leaves no doubt that the terrible events of 1915 amounted to the crime against humanity now known as genocide."

The irony in Perinek's outrage at the charges brought against him is obvious; Perynek is a supporter of Turkey's current laws, which condemn citizens for talking about the Armenian Genocide.

1. Discussion of the Armenian genocide is illegal in Turkey

In Turkey, discussing the Armenian genocide is a crime punishable by imprisonment. In 2010, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan effectively threatened to deport 100,000 Armenians in response to the Armenian Genocide Commemoration Bill introduced in the House of Commons.

Foreign affairs correspondent, Damien McElroy, details the events in the article. Erdogan made this statement, later called "blackmail" by Armenian MP Hrayr Karapetyan, after the bill was released:

“Currently, 170,000 Armenians live in our country. Only 70,000 of them are Turkish citizens, but we tolerate the remaining 100,000... If necessary, I may have to tell these 100,000 to return to their country because they are not my citizens. I don't need to keep them in my country.

“This statement once again proves that in today’s Turkey there is a threat of the Armenian genocide, so the world community should put pressure on Ankara to recognize the genocide,” Karapetyan responded to Erdogan’s subtle threats.

1. America had an interest in marking events as genocide

Although the American government and media called the killing of 1.5 million Armenians "atrocities" or "mass murders," the word "genocide" rarely made its way to the American people to describe the events that occurred from 1915 to 1923. That the words “Armenian Genocide” appeared in the New York Times. Peter Balakian, a professor of humanities at Colgate University, and Samantha Power, a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, drafted a letter to the editor of the Times that was subsequently published.

In the letter, Balakian and Seal chastise the Times and other media outlets for failing to label the atrocities that occurred in 1915 as genocide.

“The extermination of the Armenians is recognized as genocide by the consensus of genocide and Holocaust scholars around the world. Failure to recognize this trivializes a human rights crime of enormous magnitude,” one portion of the letter reads. "This is ironic because in 1915, the New York Times published 145 articles on the Armenian genocide and regularly used the words 'systematic,' 'government planning,' and 'extermination.'

Currently, US recognition of the events of 1915 as genocide of America is being considered by the US House of Representatives. The proposed resolution is briefly summarized as the “Armenian Genocide Resolution,” but its official title is “H. Res 106 or the U.S. Reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide Resolution."

1. The role of religion in the Armenian genocide

The religious origins of the Armenian Genocide date back to the 15th century, when the government of Armenia was absorbed into the Ottoman Empire. The leaders of the Ottoman Empire were mostly Muslim. Christian Armenians were considered minorities by the Ottoman Empire, and although they were "allowed to maintain some autonomy", they were largely treated as second-class citizens; i.e., Armenians were denied the right to vote, paid higher taxes than Muslims, and were denied many other legal and economic rights. Insults and biases were prevalent among the leaders of the Ottoman Empire, as Armenians were treated unfairly by violence against Christian minorities.

In the early 1900s, the Ottoman Empire was dismantled and taken over by the Young Turks. The Young Turks were initially formed as leaders who would guide the country and its citizens to a more democratic and constitutionally sound place. The Armenians were initially delighted at this prospect, but later learned that the modernization of the Young Turks would involve extermination as a means of "Turkicizing" the new state.

The rule of the Young Turks would be the catalyst for what is now known as one of the world's first genocides.

The role of religion in this genocide was visible as Christianity was constantly seen as a justification for the holocaust perpetrated by the militant followers of the Young Turks. Likewise, the extermination of Jewish citizens was considered a justification for Nazi Germany during World War II.

1. Slap from the Sultan

According to history, Turkish dictator Sultan Abdul Hamid II made this ominous threat to a reporter in 1890:

“I will soon settle these Armenians,” he said. "I will give them a slap in the face that will force them... to give up their revolutionary ambitions."

Before the Armenian Genocide in 1915, these threats were realized during the massacres of thousands of Armenians between 1894 and 1896. According to the United Council for Human Rights, Christian Armenian calls for reform led to "...more than 100,000 Armenian villagers killed during widespread pogroms carried out by the Sultan's special regiments."

The ruler of the Ottoman Empire was overthrown by a group called the Young Turks. The Armenians hoped that this new regime would lead to a fair and just society for their people. Unfortunately, the group became the perpetrators of the Armenian genocide during the First World War.

1. Young Turks

In 1908, a group of "reformers" calling themselves the "Young Turks" overthrew Sultan Hamid and gained leadership of Turkey. Initially, the goal of the Young Turks seemed to be one that would lead the country towards equality and justice, and the Armenians hoped for peace among their people in light of the changes.

However, it quickly became obvious that the goal of the Young Turks was to “lure” the country and eliminate the Armenians. The Young Turks were the catalysts for the Armenian Genocide that occurred during World War I and were responsible for the murder of nearly two million Armenians.

Many people wonder why the crimes of the Young Turks are not seen as the crimes of the Nazi Party during the Holocaust.

Scholars and historians note that the reason for this may be the lack of accountability for the crimes of the Turks. After the Ottoman Empire surrendered in 1918, Young Turk leaders fled to Germany, where they were promised freedom from any persecution for their atrocities.

Since then, the Turkish government, along with several of Turkey's allies, have denied that the genocide ever took place. In 1922, the Armenian Genocide came to an end, leaving only 388,000 Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.

1. Causes and consequences of the Armenian genocide in 1915?

The term "genocide" refers to the systematic mass murder of a specific group of people. The name "genocide" was not coined until 1944, when Polish-Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin used the term during trials to describe crimes committed by top Nazi leaders. Lemon created the word by combining the Greek word for "group" or "tribe" (geno-) and the Latin word for "kill" (cide).

In a 1949 CBS interview, Lemkin stated that his inspiration for the term came from the fact that the systematic killing of specific groups of people "has happened so many times in the past" as with the Armenians.

1. Similarities between Genocide and Holocaust

There are several pieces of evidence suggesting that the Armenian Genocide was the inspiration for Adolf Hitler before he led the Nazi Party in an attempt to exterminate the entire nation. This point has been the subject of much heated debate, especially regarding Hitler's alleged quote regarding the Armenians.

Many genocide scholars have stated that a week before the invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, Hitler asked, “Who today talks about exterminating the Armenians?”

According to an article published in the Midwestern Quarterly in mid-April 2013 by Hannibal Travis, it is indeed possible that, as many claim, the Hitler quote was not actually or in some way embellished by historians. Unsparingly, Travis notes that several parallels between the Genocide and the Holocaust are clear.

Both used the concept of ethnic "cleansing" or "cleansing". According to Travis, "while the Young Turks implemented a 'clean sweep of internal enemies—the native Christians,' according to the then German ambassador in Constantinople...Hitler himself used 'purification' or 'purification' as a euphemism for extermination."

Travis also notes that even if Hitler's infamous quote about the Armenians had never occurred, the inspiration he and the Nazi Party received from various aspects of the Armenian Genocide is undeniable.

1. What happened during the Armenian Genocide?

The Armenian genocide officially began on April 24, 1915. During this time, the Young Turks recruited a deadly organization of individuals who were sent to persecute the Armenians. This group included murderers and former prisoners. According to the story, one of the officers gave instructions to call the atrocities that were about to happen “... the liquidation of Christian elements.”

The genocide played out like this:

Armenians were forcibly removed from their homes and sent on “death marches,” which involved trekking through the Mesopotamian desert without food or water. Marchers were often stripped naked and forced to walk until they died. Those who stopped for a reprieve or respite were shot

The only Armenians who were rescued were subject to conversion and/or mistreatment. Some children of genocide victims were kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam; these children were to be raised in the home of a Turkish family. Some Armenian women were raped and forced to serve as slaves in Turkish "harems".

1. Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide

On the 100th anniversary of the brutal Holocaust that took place in 1915, there were international efforts to commemorate the victims and their families. The first official event to mark the 100th anniversary took place at Florida Atlantic University in south Florida. ARMENPRESS states that the company's mission is to “preserve Armenian culture and promote its dissemination.”

On the West Coast, Los Angeles councilor Paul Kerkorian will accept entries for an art competition commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. according to a statement from West Side Today, Kerkorian said the competition "...is a way to honor the history of genocide and highlight the promise of our future." He continued: "I hope that artists and students who care about human rights will participate and help honor the memory of the Armenian people."

Overseas, the Armenian National Committee (ANC) of Australia has officially launched its OnThisDay campaign, which will focus on honoring those affected by the Armenian Genocide. According to Asbares, ANC Australia has compiled an extensive catalog of these newspaper clippings from Australian archives, including the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Argus and other prominent publications of the day, and will be releasing them daily on Facebook .

ANC Australia chief executive Vache Kahramanian noted that the information released will include a variety of articles detailing the "horrors" of the Armenian Genocide, as well as reports on Australia's humanitarian efforts during this time.

Situation today

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "... extended invitations to the leaders of the 102 states whose soldiers fought in the First World War, inviting them to take part in the anniversary event, which is scheduled to take place on April 23-24," while Armenians will gather to commemorate the 100th anniversary. anniversary of the genocide experienced in the Ottoman Empire. The invitation was met with resentment from Armenian citizens, who considered it “unconscionable,” a “joke,” and a “political maneuver” on Erdogan’s part.

Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire

Massacres in 1894-1896 consisted of three main episodes: the Sasun massacre, the killings of Armenians throughout the empire in the fall and winter of 1895, and the massacres in Istanbul and in the Van region, the reason for which was protests by local Armenians.

In the Sasun region, Kurdish leaders imposed tribute on the Armenian population. At the same time, the Ottoman government demanded payment of arrears of state taxes, which had previously been forgiven, given the facts of Kurdish robberies. At the beginning of 1894, there was an uprising of the Armenians of Sasun. When the uprising was suppressed by Turkish troops and Kurdish detachments, according to various estimates, from 3 to 10 or more thousand Armenians were massacred.

The peak of the Armenian pogroms occurred after September 18, 1895, when a protest demonstration took place in Bab Ali, an area of ​​the Turkish capital Istanbul where the Sultan's residence was located. More than 2,000 Armenians died in the pogroms that followed the dispersal of the demonstration. The massacre of the Armenians of Constantinople begun by the Turks resulted in a total massacre of Armenians throughout Asia Minor.

The following summer, a group of Armenian militants, representatives of the radical Dashnaktsutyun party, attempted to draw European attention to the intolerable plight of the Armenian population by seizing the Imperial Ottoman Bank, the central bank of Turkey. The first dragoman of the Russian embassy, ​​V. Maksimov, took part in resolving the incident. He assured that the great powers would put the necessary pressure on the Sublime Porte to carry out reforms, and gave his word that the participants in the action would be given the opportunity to freely leave the country on one of the European ships. However, the authorities ordered attacks on the Armenians even before the group of Dashnaks left the bank. As a result of the three-day massacre, according to various estimates, from 5,000 to 8,700 people died.

During the period 1894–1896 In the Ottoman Empire, according to various sources, from 50 to 300 thousand Armenians were destroyed.

Establishment of the Young Turk regime and Armenian pogroms in Cilicia

In order to establish a constitutional regime in the country, a secret organization was created by a group of young Turkish officers and government officials, which later became the basis of the Ittihad ve Terakki (Unity and Progress) party, also called the “Young Turks”. At the end of June 1908, Young Turk officers launched a rebellion, which soon grew into a general uprising: Greek, Macedonian, Albanian, and Bulgarian rebels joined the Young Turks. A month later, the Sultan was forced to make significant concessions, restore the Constitution, grant amnesty to the leaders of the uprising and follow their instructions in many matters.

The restoration of the Constitution and new laws meant the end of the traditional superiority of Muslims over Christians, in particular Armenians. At the first stage, the Armenians supported the Young Turks; their slogans about universal equality and brotherhood of the peoples of the empire found the most positive response among the Armenian population. In the Armenian-populated regions, celebrations took place on the occasion of the establishment of a new order, sometimes quite stormy, which caused additional aggression among the Muslim population, which had lost their privileged position.

New laws allowed Christians to carry weapons, which led to the active arming of the Armenian part of the population. Both Armenians and Muslims accused each other of mass armament. In the spring of 1909, a new wave of anti-Armenian pogroms began in Cilicia. The first pogroms took place in Adana, then the pogroms spread to other cities in the Adana and Aleppo vilayets. The troops of the Young Turks from Rumelia sent to maintain order not only did not protect the Armenians, but together with the pogromists took part in robberies and murders. The result of the massacre in Cilicia is 20 thousand dead Armenians. Many researchers are of the opinion that the organizers of the massacre were the Young Turks, or at least the Young Turk authorities of the Adanai vilayet.

From 1909, the Young Turks began a campaign of forced Turkification of the population and banned organizations associated with non-Turkish ethnic causes. The Turkification policy was approved at the Ittihad Congresses of 1910 and 1911.

World War I and the Armenian genocide

According to some reports, the Armenian genocide was being prepared before the war. In February 1914 (four months before the assassination of Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo), the Ittihadists called for a boycott of Armenian businesses, and one of the Young Turk leaders, Dr. Nazim, went on a trip to Turkey to personally oversee the implementation of the boycott.

On August 4, 1914, mobilization was announced, and already on August 18, reports began to arrive from Central Anatolia about the looting of Armenian property carried out under the slogan of “raising funds for the army.” At the same time, in different parts of the country, authorities disarmed Armenians, even taking away kitchen knives. In October, robbery and requisitions were in full swing, arrests of Armenian political figures began, and the first reports of murders began to arrive. Most of the Armenians drafted into the army were sent to special labor battalions.

At the beginning of December 1914, the Turks launched an offensive on the Caucasian front, but in January 1915, having suffered a crushing defeat in the battle of Sarykamysh, they were forced to retreat. The victory of the Russian army was greatly aided by the actions of Armenian volunteers from among the Armenians living in the Russian Empire, which led to the spread of the belief that the Armenians in general were treacherous. The retreating Turkish troops brought down all the anger of defeat on the Christian population of the front-line areas, slaughtering Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks along the way. At the same time, arrests of prominent Armenians and attacks on Armenian villages continued throughout the country.

At the beginning of 1915, a secret meeting of the Young Turk leaders took place. One of the leaders of the Young Turk party, Doctor Nazim Bey, made the following speech during the meeting: “The Armenian people must be destroyed radically, so that not a single Armenian remains on our land, and this very name is forgotten. Now there is a war, such an opportunity will not happen again. The intervention of the great powers and the noisy protests of the world press will go unnoticed, and if they find out, they will be presented with a fait accompli, and thus the question will be settled.". Nazim Bey was supported by other participants in the meeting. A plan was drawn up for the wholesale extermination of Armenians.

Henry Morgenthau (1856-1946), US Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire (1913-1916), later wrote a book about the Armenian genocide: "The real purpose of the deportations was plunder and destruction; this is indeed a new method of massacre. When the Turkish authorities ordered these deportations, they were in effect pronouncing the death sentence on an entire nation.".

The position of the Turkish side is that there was an Armenian rebellion: during the First World War, Armenians sided with Russia, volunteered for the Russian army, formed Armenian volunteer squads that fought on the Caucasian front along with Russian troops.

In the spring of 1915, the disarmament of the Armenians was in full swing. In the Alashkert Valley, detachments of Turkish, Kurdish and Circassian irregular troops slaughtered Armenian villages, near Smyrna (Izmir) Greeks conscripted into the army were killed, and the deportation of the Armenian population of Zeytun began.

In early April, massacres began in the Armenian and Assyrian villages of the Van vilayet. In mid-April, refugees from surrounding villages began arriving in the city of Van, reporting what was happening there. The Armenian delegation invited to negotiate with the administration of the vilayet was destroyed by the Turks. Having learned about this, the Armenians of Van decided to defend themselves and refused to surrender their weapons. Turkish troops and Kurdish detachments besieged the city, but all attempts to break the resistance of the Armenians were unsuccessful. In May, advanced detachments of Russian troops and Armenian volunteers drove back the Turks and lifted the siege of Van.

On April 24, 1915, several hundred of the most prominent representatives of the Armenian intelligentsia: writers, artists, lawyers, and representatives of the clergy were arrested and then killed in Istanbul. At the same time, the liquidation of Armenian communities throughout Anatolia began. April 24 went down in the history of the Armenian people as a black day.

In June 1915, Enver Pasha, the Minister of War and de facto head of the government of the Ottoman Empire, and the Minister of Internal Affairs, Talaat Pasha, instruct the civil authorities to begin the deportation of Armenians to Mesopotamia. This order meant almost certain death - the lands in Mesopotamia were poor, there was a serious shortage of fresh water, and it was impossible to immediately settle 1.5 million people there.

The deported Armenians of the Trebizond and Erzurum vilayets were driven along the Euphrates valley to the Kemakh gorge. On June 8, 9, 10, 1915, defenseless people in the gorge were attacked by Turkish soldiers and Kurds. After the robbery, almost all the Armenians were slaughtered, only a few managed to escape. On the fourth day, a “noble” detachment was sent out, officially to “punish” the Kurds. This detachment finished off those who remained alive.

In the autumn of 1915, columns of emaciated and ragged women and children moved along the country's roads. Columns of deportees flocked to Aleppo, from where the few survivors were sent to the deserts of Syria, where most of them died.

The official authorities of the Ottoman Empire made attempts to hide the scale and ultimate purpose of the action, but foreign consuls and missionaries sent reports of atrocities occurring in Turkey. This forced the Young Turks to act more cautiously. In August 1915, on the advice of the Germans, Turkish authorities prohibited the killing of Armenians in places where American consuls could see it. In November of the same year, Jemal Pasha tried to put on trial the director and professors of the German school in Aleppo, thanks to whom the world became aware of the deportations and massacres of Armenians in Cilicia. In January 1916, a circular was sent out prohibiting photographs of the bodies of the dead.

In the spring of 1916, due to the difficult situation on all fronts, the Young Turks decided to speed up the process of destruction. It included previously deported Armenians, located, as a rule, in desert areas. At the same time, the Turkish authorities are suppressing any attempts by neutral countries to provide humanitarian assistance to the Armenians dying in the deserts.

In June 1916, the authorities dismissed the governor of Der-Zor, Ali Suad, an Arab by nationality, for refusing to destroy the deported Armenians. Salih Zeki, known for his ruthlessness, was appointed in his place. With the arrival of Zeki, the process of extermination of the deportees accelerated even more.

By the fall of 1916, the world already knew about the massacre of Armenians. The scale of what happened was unknown, reports of Turkish atrocities were perceived with some distrust, but it was clear that something hitherto unseen had happened in the Ottoman Empire. At the request of the Turkish Minister of War Enver Pasha, the German ambassador Count Wolf-Metternich was recalled from Constantinople: the Young Turks believed that he was protesting too actively against the massacre of the Armenians.

US President Woodrow Wilson declared October 8 and 9 as Days of Relief for Armenia: on these days, the entire country collected donations to help Armenian refugees.

In 1917, the situation on the Caucasian front changed dramatically. The February Revolution, failures on the Eastern Front, and the active work of Bolshevik emissaries to disintegrate the army led to a sharp decrease in the combat effectiveness of the Russian army. After the October coup, the Russian military command was forced to sign a truce with the Turks. Taking advantage of the subsequent collapse of the front and the disorderly withdrawal of Russian troops, in February 1918, Turkish troops occupied Erzurum, Kars and reached Batum. The advancing Turks mercilessly exterminated the Armenians and Assyrians. The only obstacle that somehow restrained the advance of the Turks were the Armenian volunteer detachments covering the retreat of thousands of refugees.

On October 30, 1918, the Turkish government signed the Mudros Truce with the Entente countries, according to which, among other things, the Turkish side pledged to return deported Armenians and withdraw troops from Transcaucasia and Cilicia. The articles, which directly affected the interests of Armenia, stated that all prisoners of war and interned Armenians should be collected in Constantinople so that they could be handed over to the allies without any conditions. Article 24 had the following content: "In the event of unrest in one of the Armenian vilayets, the allies reserve the right to occupy part of it".

After the signing of the treaty, the new Turkish government, under pressure from the international community, began trials against the organizers of the genocide. In 1919–1920 Extraordinary military tribunals were formed in the country to investigate the crimes of the Young Turks. By that time, the entire Young Turk elite was on the run: Talaat, Enver, Dzhemal and others, taking the party cash, left Turkey. They were sentenced to death in absentia, but only a few lower-ranking criminals were punished.

Operation Nemesis

In October 1919, at the IX Congress of the Dashnaktsutyun party in Yerevan, on the initiative of Shaan Natali, a decision was made to carry out the punitive operation “Nemesis”. A list of 650 persons involved in the massacre of Armenians was compiled, from which 41 people were selected as the main culprits. To carry out the operation, a Responsible Authority (headed by the Envoy of the Republic of Armenia to the USA Armen Garo) and a Special Fund (headed by Shaan Satchaklyan) were formed.

As part of Operation Nemesis in 1920-1922, Talaat Pasha, Jemal Pasha, Said Halim and some other Young Turk leaders who fled from justice were hunted down and killed.

Enver was killed in Central Asia in a skirmish with a detachment of Red Army soldiers under the command of the Armenian Melkumov (a former member of the Hunchak Party). Dr. Nazim and Javid Bey (Minister of Finance of the Young Turk Government) were executed in Turkey on charges of participating in a conspiracy against Mustafa Kemal, the founder of the Turkish Republic.

The situation of Armenians after the First World War

After the Truce of Mudros, Armenians who survived the pogroms and deportations began to return to Cilicia, attracted by the promises of the allies, primarily France, to assist in the creation of Armenian autonomy. However, the emergence of the Armenian state entity ran counter to the plans of the Kemalists. The policy of France, which feared that England would become too strong in the region, changed towards greater support for Turkey as opposed to Greece, which was supported by England.

In January 1920, Kemalist troops began an operation to exterminate the Armenians of Cilicia. After heavy and bloody defensive battles that lasted in some areas for more than a year, the few surviving Armenians were forced to emigrate, mainly to French-mandated Syria.

In 1922–23 A conference on the Middle East issue was held in Lausanne (Switzerland), in which Great Britain, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey and a number of other countries participated. The conference ended with the signing of a series of treaties, among which was a peace treaty between the Republic of Turkey and the Allied Powers, defining the borders of modern Turkey. In the final version of the treaty, the Armenian issue was not mentioned at all.

Data on the number of victims

In August 1915, Enver Pasha reported 300,000 Armenian dead. At the same time, according to the German missionary Johannes Lepsius, about 1 million Armenians were killed. In 1919, Lepsius revised his estimate to 1,100,000. According to him, only during the Ottoman invasion of Transcaucasia in 1918, from 50 to 100 thousand Armenians were killed. On December 20, 1915, the German consul in Aleppo, Rössler, informed the Reich Chancellor that, based on the general estimate of the Armenian population of 2.5 million, the death toll could very likely reach 800,000, possibly higher. At the same time, he noted that if the estimate is based on the Armenian population of 1.5 million people, then the number of deaths should be proportionally reduced (that is, the estimate of the number of deaths will be 480,000). According to estimates by British historian and cultural critic Arnold Toynbee, published in 1916, about 600,000 Armenians died. The German Methodist missionary Ernst Sommer estimated the number of deportees at 1,400,000.

Modern estimates of the number of victims vary from 200,000 (some Turkish sources) to over 2,000,000 Armenians (some Armenian sources). American historian of Armenian origin Ronald Suny indicates as a range of estimates figures from several hundred thousand to 1.5 million. According to the Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire, the most conservative estimates indicate the number of victims is about 500,000, and the highest is the estimate of Armenian scientists at 1. 5 million. The Encyclopedia of Genocide, published by Israeli sociologist and specialist in the history of genocides Israel Charney, reports the extermination of up to 1.5 million Armenians. According to American historian Richard Hovhannisyan, until recently the most common estimate was 1,500,000, but recently, as a result of political pressure from Turkey, this estimate has been revised downwards.

Additionally, according to Johannes Lepsius, between 250,000 and 300,000 Armenians were forcibly converted to Islam, which led to protests from some Muslim leaders. Thus, the Mufti of Kutahya declared the forced conversion of Armenians to be contrary to Islam. Forced conversion to Islam had the political goals of destroying Armenian identity and reducing the number of Armenians in order to undermine the basis for demands for autonomy or independence on the part of Armenians.

Recognition of the Armenian genocide

UN Sub-Commission on Human Rights 18 June 1987 - European Parliament decided to recognize the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire of 1915-1917 and to appeal to the Council of Europe to put pressure on Turkey to recognize the genocide.

18 June 1987 - Council of Europe decided that the refusal of today's Turkey to recognize the Armenian genocide of 1915, carried out by the government of the Young Turks, becomes an insurmountable obstacle to Turkey's accession to the Council of Europe.

Italy - 33 Italian cities recognized the genocide of the Armenian people in Ottoman Turkey in 1915. The city council of Bagnocapaglio was the first to do this on July 17, 1997. To date, these include Lugo, Fusignano, S. Azuta Sul, Santerno, Cotignola, Molarolo, Russi, Conselice, Camponozara, Padova and others. The issue of recognition of the Armenian genocide is on the agenda of the Italian parliament. It was discussed at a meeting on April 3, 2000.

France - On May 29, 1998, the French National Assembly adopted a bill recognizing the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire in 1915.

On November 7, 2000, the French Senate voted for the resolution on the Armenian genocide. The senators, however, slightly changed the text of the resolution, replacing the original “France officially recognizes the fact of the Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey” with “France officially recognizes that the Armenians were victims of the 1915 genocide.” On January 18, 2001, the French National Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution according to which France recognizes the fact of the Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey in 1915-1923.

December 22, 2011 lower house of parliament of France approved the draft law on criminal penalties for denying the Armenian genocide . On January 6, incumbent French President Nicolas Sarkozy sent the bill to the Senate for approval . However, the Constitutional Commission of the Senate on January 18, 2012 rejected the bill on criminal liability for denying the Armenian genocide , considering the text unacceptable.

On October 14, 2016, the French Senate passed a bill to criminalize the denial of all crimes committed against humanity, listing among them the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire.

Belgium - in March 1998, the Belgian Senate adopted a resolution according to which the fact of the Armenian genocide in 1915 in Ottoman Turkey was recognized and appealed to the government of modern Turkey to also recognize it.

Switzerland - in the Swiss parliament the issue of recognizing the Armenian genocide of 1915 was periodically raised by a parliamentary group headed by Angelina Fankewatzer.

On December 16, 2003, the Swiss parliament voted to officially recognize the killing of Armenians in eastern Turkey during and after World War I as genocide.

Russia - On April 14, 1995, the State Duma adopted a statement condemning the organizers of the Armenian genocide of 1915-1922. and expressing gratitude to the Armenian people, as well as recognizing April 24 as the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Armenian Genocide.

Canada - On April 23, 1996, on the eve of the 81st anniversary of the Armenian genocide, on the proposal of a group of Quebec parliamentarians, the Canadian Parliament adopted a resolution condemning the Armenian genocide. “The House of Commons, on the occasion of the 81st anniversary of the tragedy that claimed the lives of almost one and a half million Armenians, and in recognition of other crimes against humanity, decides to consider the week from April 20 to 27 as the Week of Remembrance for the Victims of Inhumane Treatment of Man to Man,” the resolution states.

Lebanon - On April 3, 1997, the National Assembly of Lebanon adopted a resolution recognizing April 24 as the Day of Remembrance of the Tragic Massacre of the Armenian People. The resolution calls on the Lebanese people to be united with the Armenian people on April 24. On May 12, 2000, the Lebanese Parliament recognized and condemned the genocide committed against the Armenian people by the Ottoman authorities in 1915.

Uruguay - On April 20, 1965, the Main Assembly of the Uruguayan Senate and the House of Representatives adopted the law “On the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Armenian Genocide.”

Argentina - On April 16, 1998, the Buenos Aires legislature adopted a memorandum expressing solidarity with the Armenian community of Argentina commemorating the 81st anniversary of the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire. On April 22, 1998, the Argentine Senate adopted a statement condemning genocide of any kind as a crime against humanity. In the same statement, the Senate expresses its solidarity with all national minorities who were victims of genocide, especially emphasizing its concern about the impunity of the perpetrators of the genocide. At the basis of the statement, examples of the massacre of Armenians, Jews, Kurds, Palestinians, Roma and many peoples of Africa are given as manifestations of genocide.

Greece - On April 25, 1996, the Greek Parliament decided to recognize April 24 as the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Genocide of the Armenian People carried out by Ottoman Turkey in 1915.

Australia - On April 17, 1997, the parliament of the South Australian state of New Wales adopted a resolution in which, meeting the local Armenian diaspora, condemned the events that occurred on the territory of the Ottoman Empire, qualifying them as the first genocide in the 20th century, recognized April 24 as the Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Victims and called on the Australian government to take steps towards official recognition of the Armenian genocide. On April 29, 1998, the Legislative Assembly of the same state decided to erect a memorial obelisk in the parliament building to perpetuate the memory of the victims of the Armenian genocide of 1915.

USA - On October 4, 2000, the Committee on Foreign Relations of the US Congress adopted resolution No. 596, recognizing the fact of the genocide of the Armenian people in Turkey in 1915-1923.

At various times, 43 states and the District of Columbia recognized the Armenian genocide. The list of states: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington , Wisconsin, Indiana.

Sweden - On March 29, 2000, the Swedish Parliament approved the appeal of the Parliamentary Commission on Foreign Relations, insisting on condemnation and recognition of the Armenian genocide of 1915.

Slovakia - On November 30, 2004, the National Assembly of Slovakia recognized the fact of the Armenian genocide .

Poland - On April 19, 2005, the Polish Sejm recognized the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the twentieth century. The parliament statement noted that “respecting the memory of the victims of this crime and condemning it is the responsibility of all humanity, all states and people of good will.”

Venezuela- On July 14, 2005, the Venezuelan Parliament announced its recognition of the Armenian genocide, noting: “It is 90 years since the first genocide in the twentieth century was committed, which was pre-planned and carried out by the Pan-Turkist Young Turks against the Armenians, resulting in the death of 1, 5 million people."

Lithuania- On December 15, 2005, the Seimas of Lithuania adopted a resolution condemning the Armenian genocide. “The Sejm, condemning the genocide of the Armenian people committed by the Turks in the Ottoman Empire in 1915, calls on the Turkish Republic to recognize this historical fact,” the document said.

Chile - On July 6, 2007, the Chilean Senate unanimously called on the country's government to condemn the genocide carried out against the Armenian people. “These terrible actions became the first ethnic cleansing of the twentieth century, and long before such actions received their legal formulation, the fact of a gross violation of the human rights of the Armenian people was registered,” the Senate statement noted.

Bolivia - On November 26, 2014, both houses of the Bolivian parliament recognized the Armenian genocide. “On the night of April 24, 1915, the authorities of the Ottoman Empire, the leaders of the Union and Progress party began the arrests and planned expulsion of representatives of the Armenian intelligentsia, political figures, scientists, writers, cultural figures, clergy, doctors, public figures and specialists, and then massacre of the Armenian civilian population on the territory of historical Western Armenia and Anatolia,” the statement said.

Germany - On June 2, 2016, members of the German Bundestag approved a resolution that recognizes the killing of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as genocide. On the same day, Türkiye recalled its ambassador from Berlin.

Roman Catholic Church- On April 12, 2015, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Francis, during mass , dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, called the 1915 massacres of Armenians the first genocide of the 20th century: “In the last century, humanity experienced three massive and unprecedented tragedies. The first tragedy, which many consider as the “first genocide of the 20th century,” hit the Armenian people.”

Spain- the Armenian genocide was recognized by 12 cities in the country: on July 28, 2016, the city council of Alicante adopted an institutional declaration and publicly condemned the genocide of the Armenian people in Ottoman Turkey; On November 25, 2015, the city of Alsira was recognized as genocide.

Denial of genocide

Most countries in the world have not officially recognized the Armenian genocide. The authorities of the Republic of Turkey actively deny the fact of the Armenian genocide; they are supported by the authorities of Azerbaijan.

The Turkish authorities categorically refuse to acknowledge the fact of genocide. Turkish historians note that the events of 1915 were in no way ethnic cleansing, and as a result of the clashes, a large number of Turks themselves died at the hands of the Armenians.

According to the Turkish side, there was an Armenian rebellion, and all operations to resettle Armenians were dictated by military necessity. The Turkish side also disputes the numerical data on the number of Armenian deaths and emphasizes the significant number of casualties among Turkish troops and the population during the suppression of the rebellion.

In 2008, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan proposed that the Armenian government create a joint commission of historians to study the events of 1915. The Turkish government has stated that it is ready to open all archives of that period to Armenian historians. To this proposal, Armenian President Robert Kocharyan responded that the development of bilateral relations is a matter for governments, not historians, and proposed the normalization of relations between the two countries without any preconditions. Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian noted in a response statement that “outside Turkey, scientists - Armenians, Turks and others - have studied these problems and made their own independent conclusions. The most famous among them is a letter to Prime Minister Erdogan from the International Association of Genocide Scholars in May 2006 year in which they together and unanimously confirm the fact of genocide and appeal to the Turkish government with a request to recognize the responsibility of the previous government."

In early December 2008, Turkish professors, scientists and some experts began collecting signatures for an open letter apologizing to the Armenian people. “Conscience does not allow us not to recognize the great misfortune of the Ottoman Armenians in 1915,” the letter says.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan criticized the campaign. The head of the Turkish government said that he “does not accept such initiatives.” "We did not commit this crime, we have nothing to apologize for. Whoever is guilty can apologize. However, the Republic of Turkey, the Turkish nation, does not have such problems." Noting that such initiatives by the intelligentsia hinder the settlement of issues between the two states, the French Prime Minister made the following conclusion: “These campaigns are wrong. Approaching issues with good intentions is one thing, but apologizing is something else entirely. This is illogical.”

The Republic of Azerbaijan has shown solidarity with Turkey's position and also denies the fact of the Armenian genocide. Heydar Aliyev stated, speaking about genocide, that nothing like this happened, and all historians know this.

In French public opinion, tendencies also prevail in favor of initiating the organization of a commission to study the tragic events of 1915 in the Ottoman Empire. French researcher and writer Yves Benard, on his personal resource Yvesbenard.fr, calls on impartial historians and politicians to study Ottoman and Armenian archives and answer the following questions:

• What was the number of Armenian casualties during the First World War?
• What is the number of Armenian victims who died during the resettlement, and how did they die?
• How many peaceful Turks were killed by Dashnaktsutyun during the same period?
• Was there genocide?

Yves Benard believes that there was a Turkish-Armenian tragedy, but not genocide. And calls for mutual forgiveness and reconciliation between two peoples and two states.

Notes:

1. Genocide // Online Etymology Dictionary.
2. Spingola D. Raphael Lemkin and the Etymology of "Genocide" // Spingola D. The Ruling Elite: Death, Destruction, and Domination. Victoria: Trafford Publishing, 2014. pp. 662-672.
3. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, December 9, 1948 // Collection of international treaties. T.1, part 2. Universal contracts. UN. N.Y., Geneve, 1994.
4. Armenian genocide in Turkey: a brief historical overview // Genocide.ru, 06.08.2007.
5. Berlin Treatise // Official website of the Faculty of History of Moscow State University.
6. Cyprus Convention // "Academician".
7. Bénard Y. Génocide arménien, et si on nous avait menti? Essai. Paris, 2009.
8. Kinross L. The Rise and Decline of the Ottoman Empire. M.: Kron-press, 1999.
9. Armenian genocide, 1915 // Armtown, 04/22/2011.
10. Jemal Pasha // Genocide.ru.
11. Reds. Part twenty-nine. Between the Kemalists and the Bolsheviks // ArAcH.
12. Switzerland recognized the killings of Armenians as genocide // BBC Russian Service, 12/17/2003.
13. International Affirmation of the Armenian Genocide // Armenian National Institute. Washington; The US state of Indiana recognized the Armenian Genocide // Hayernaysor.am, 11/06/2017.
14. Who recognized the Armenian genocide of 1915 // Armenika.
15. Decision of the Parliament of the Slovak Republic // Genocide.org.ua .
16. Poland Parliament Resolution // Armenian National Institute. Washington.
17. National Assembly of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Resolution A-56 07.14.05 // Genocide.org.ua
18. Lithuania Assembly Resolution // Armenian National Institute. Washington.
19. The Chilean Senate adopted a document condemning the Armenian genocide // RIA Novosti, 06.06.2007.
20. Bolivia recognizes and condemns the Armenian genocide // Website of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, 12/01/2014.
21. Türkei zieht Botschafter aus Berlin ab // Bild.de, 02.06.2016.
22. The Prime Minister of Turkey is not going to apologize for the Armenian genocide // Izvestia, 12/18/2008.
23. Erdogan called the position of the Armenian diaspora “cheap political lobbying” // Armtown, 11/14/2008.
24. L. Sycheva: Türkiye yesterday and today. Are claims to the role of leader of the Turkic world justified // Central Asia, 06.24.2010.
25. Armenian genocide: not recognized by Turkey and Azerbaijan // Radio Liberty, 02.17.2001.

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In 1453, Constantinople fell, heralding the beginning of the history of the Ottoman Empire (previously the Ottoman State), which was destined to become the author of one of the most terrible atrocities in human history.

1915 - symbol of human cruelty

Throughout the history of the Ottoman Empire, Armenians lived in the east of the country, considering this land their home and historical homeland. However, the Muslim state treated them differently.

Being both a national and religious minority, Armenians were perceived as “second-class citizens.” Not only were their rights not protected, but the authorities themselves contributed in every possible way to the oppression of the Armenian population. The situation worsened sharply after the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878.

The defeated empire did not come to terms with the conditions dictated to it, turning all its anger towards the Christians living on its territory. It is no coincidence that Muslims expelled from the Caucasus and the Balkan countries were settled next to them. The close proximity of people of different religions and cultures often led to serious conflicts.

Raids on Christian villages became commonplace. The authorities simply watched. The outbreak of protests by Armenians became another reason for mass arrests and murders. But this was just the beginning. Approaching 1915 which became a symbol of human cruelty and indifference, a year painted with a scarlet helmet of blood of millions of innocent victims.

Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire

April 24, 1915- this date has become a symbol of the Great Tribulation, grief over lost lives and ruined destinies. On this day, an entire people was beheaded, striving only for a peaceful life in the land of their ancestors.

It was on this day that the arrests of the most prominent political and public figures of the Armenian elite began in Constantinople (Istanbul). Politicians, writers, doctors, lawyers, journalists, musicians were arrested - everyone who could lead the people, become their leader on the path to resistance.

By the end of May, more than 800 of the most influential Armenians were completely isolated from society and few of them returned alive. Then it was the turn of the civilians. Raids on Armenian settlements became more frequent and merciless. Women, old people, children - the sword in the hands of the embittered “punishers” incited by the authorities did not spare anyone. And there was even no one to protect their home, because the men were called up to serve in the army of a country that only wanted to get rid of them as quickly as possible. The surviving people were gathered into groups and, under the pretext of protection from enemy invasions, “resettled.”

How many people were left on the road, and how many of them, driven by sword and whip across the endless and barren expanses of Der Zor, reached their destination where slow death awaited them? They have no account. The scale of the operation planned by the authorities to exterminate an entire people under the guise of war was truly enormous.

Armenian genocide was preparing even before the war, and its beginning became a lever for launching the merciless “death machine.”

Back in February 1914, a boycott of Armenian enterprises began, followed by collection of property “for the army” and demobilization. In January 1915, the Turkish army was defeated in the battle of Sarykamysh and retreated. Rumors began to spread that the success of the Russian army was greatly facilitated by the voluntary assistance of the Armenians.

The retreating army brought down its wrath on local Christians: Armenians, Assyrians, Greeks. Raids on settlements, massacres and deportations continued until the end of the First World War, but in fact, the genocide continued after the surrender of Turkey and the overthrow of the Young Turks.

The new government condemned the actions of the previous one, and the main organizers of the crimes were put on trial. But even those sentenced to death, many of them escaped punishment by escaping from a country where, in fact, they did not want to condemn them. All investigations into crimes committed under the cover of hostilities pursued only one goal: to reassure the world community, which, despite the attempts of the Turkish authorities to hide the true state of affairs in the country, already knew what actually happened.

Largely thanks to the courage of ambassadors and public figures of European countries, the world learned about the greatest atrocity of the early 20th century. The progressive public demanded punishment for the criminals.

But the true punishment came from the victims themselves. In October 1919, on the initiative of Dashnaktsutyun party activist Shaan Natali, a decision was made to organize the punitive operation “Nemesis”. As part of this operation, Taleat Pasha, Jemal Pasha, Said Halim and others who fled from justice criminals.

But the operation itself became a symbol of retribution. Soghomon Tehlirian, who lost his entire family during the genocide, on March 15, 1921, in the Charlottenburg region, shot and killed the man who took away his house and relatives Taleat Pasha. And right in the courtroom, Tehliryan was acquitted. The world did not recognize the guilt of the man who avenged the crippled fate of an entire people.

Genocide of 1915- everlasting memory !

But, despite numerous condemnations, the world is still not ready to completely free itself from the shackles and let into its home all the bitterness of one of the greatest atrocities in the history of mankind.

Countries such as France, Belgium, Argentina, Russia, Uruguay recognized and condemned the Armenian genocide on the territory of the Ottoman Empire. But one of the most important players in the world political arena, the United States, continues to ignore such an important topic, speculating on it to influence modern Turkey (so far, only a few states have recognized the Armenian genocide).

And, most importantly, the fact of genocide is denied by the Turkish state itself, the legal successor of the Ottoman Empire. But the facts cannot be changed, history cannot be rewritten, and the 1,500,000 voices of innocent victims will never be silenced. Sooner or later, the world will bow to history, because despite Hitler’s words that marked the beginning of the Holocaust (“And who now remembers the destruction of the Armenians”), in fact, “nothing is forgotten, no one is forgotten.”

Every year on April 24, Armenians will rise to the heights of Tsitsernakaberd, bringing with them fresh flowers in tribute to the victims of the “great atrocity” and the eternal flame of torches will burn in the hands of the new generation.

Dönme - crypto-Jewish sect brought Atatürk to power

One of the most destructive factors that largely determines the political situation in the Middle East and Transcaucasia for 100 years is the genocide of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire, during which, according to various sources, from 664 thousand to 1.5 million people were killed. And given that the genocide of the Pontic Greeks, which began in Izmir, during which from 350 thousand to 1.2 million people were killed, and the Assyrians, in which the Kurds took part, which killed from 275 to 750 thousand people, took place almost simultaneously, this factor is already For more than 100 years, it has kept the entire region in suspense, constantly fueling hostility between the peoples inhabiting it. Moreover, as soon as there is even a slight rapprochement between neighbors, giving hope for their reconciliation and further peaceful coexistence, an external factor, a third party, immediately intervenes in the situation, and a bloody event occurs, further fueling mutual hatred.

“There was no “genocide” against Armenians in the history of Turkey” , Erdogan said.

No one will dare to suspect the Turkish President of inadequacy. Erdogan, the leader of a great Islamic country, heir to one of the greatest empires, by definition cannot be like, say, the president of Ukraine. And the president of any country will not risk committing an outright and open lie. This means that Erdogan really knows something that is unknown to most people in other countries, or is carefully hidden from the world community. And such a factor really exists. It is not about the event of genocide itself, it is about who carried out this inhuman cruelty and is truly responsible for it.

***

In February 2018, on the Turkish e-government portal (www.turkiye.gov.tr ) an online service was launched where any Turkish citizen could trace his genealogy and learn about his ancestors in a few clicks. Available records were limited to the early 19th century, during the Ottoman Empire. The service almost instantly became so popular that it soon collapsed due to millions of requests. The results obtained shocked a huge number of Turks. It turns out that many people who considered themselves Turks actually have ancestors of Armenian, Jewish, Greek, Bulgarian and even Macedonian and Romanian origin. This fact, by default, only confirmed what everyone in Turkey knows, but no one likes to mention, especially in front of foreigners. It is considered bad form to talk about this out loud in Turkey, but it is this factor that now determines all domestic and foreign policy, Erdogan’s entire struggle for power within the country.

By the standards of its time, the Ottoman Empire pursued a relatively tolerant policy towards national and religious minorities, preferring, again by the standards of that time, non-violent methods of assimilation. To some extent, it repeated the methods of the Byzantine Empire it defeated. Armenians traditionally led the financial sphere of the empire. Most of the bankers in Constantinople were Armenians. Many finance ministers were Armenians; it is enough to recall the brilliant Hakob Kazazyan Pasha, who was considered the best finance minister in the entire history of the Ottoman Empire. Of course, throughout history there have been interethnic and interreligious conflicts, which even led to the shedding of blood. But nothing like the genocide of the Christian population in the 20th century happened in the Empire. And suddenly such a tragedy happens. Any sane person will understand that this does not happen out of the blue. So why and who carried out these bloody genocides? The answer to this question lies in the history of the Ottoman Empire itself.

***

As I wrote in the article"Island of the Antichrist: a springboard for Armageddon" , Dönmeh, or Sabbatians are the followers and disciples of the Jewish rabbi Shabbtai Zevi, who in 1665 was proclaimed the Jewish messiah and caused the greatest schism in Judaism in almost 2 millennia of its official existence. Avoiding execution by the Sultan, Shabbtai Zvi converted to Islam in 1666 along with his many followers. Despite this, many Sabbatians are still members of three religions - Judaism, Islam and Christianity. The Turkish Dönmeh were originally founded in Greek Thessaloniki by Jacob Kerido and his son Berachio (Baruch) Russo (Osman Baba). Subsequently, the Dönme spread throughout Turkey, where they were called, depending on the direction in Sabbateanism, Izmirlars, Karakaslars (black-browed) and Kapanjilars (owners of scales). The main place of concentration of the Dönme in the Asian part of the Empire was the city of Izmir. The Young Turk movement was largely made up of Dönmeh. Kemal Atatürk, the first president of Turkey, was a Dönmeh and a member of the Veritas Masonic Lodge, a branch of the Grand Orient of France.

Throughout their history, the Dönmeh repeatedly appealed to rabbis, representatives of traditional Judaism, with requests to recognize them as Jews, like the Karaites who deny the Talmud (oral Torah). However, they always received a refusal, which in most cases was of a political nature, and not religious. Kemalist Turkey has always been an ally of Israel, which did not find it politically advantageous to admit that this state was actually led by Jews. For the same reasons, Israel categorically refused and still refuses to recognize the Armenian genocide. Foreign Ministry spokesman Emanuel Nachshon recently said that Israel's official position has not changed.

“We are very sensitive and responsive to the terrible tragedy of the Armenian people during the First World War. Historical debate about how to evaluate this tragedy is one thing, but the recognition that something terrible happened to the Armenian people is completely different, and this is much more important.”

Initially, in Thessaloniki, Greece, then part of the Ottoman Empire, the Dönmeh community consisted of 200 families. In secret, they practiced their own form of Judaism, based on the "18 Commandments" supposedly left by Shabbtai Zevi, along with a ban on intermarriage with true Muslims. The Dönme never integrated into Muslim society and continued to believe that Shabbtai Zvi would one day return and lead them to redemption.

According to very underestimated estimates of the Dönme themselves, their number in Turkey now amounts to 15-20 thousand people. Alternative sources speak of millions of Dönme in Turkey. All officers and generals of the Turkish army, bankers, financiers, judges, journalists, police officers, lawyers, attorneys, preachers throughout the 20th century were Dönme. But this phenomenon began in 1891 with the creation of the Dönme political organization - the Committee of Unity and Progress, later called the “Young Turks”, responsible for the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the genocide of the Christian peoples of Turkey.

***

The well-known “evil genius of the Russian revolution” Alexander Parvus was a financial adviser to the Young Turks, and the first Bolshevik government of Russia allocated Ataturk 10 million rubles in gold, 45 thousand rifles and 300 machine guns with ammunition. One of the main, sacred, reasons for the Armenian genocide was the fact that the Jews considered the Armenians to be Amalekites, descendants of Amalek, the grandson of Esau. Esau himself was the elder twin brother of the founder of Israel, Jacob, who, taking advantage of the blindness of their father, Isaac, stole the birthright from his elder brother. Throughout history, the Amalekites were the main enemies of Israel, with whom David fought during the reign of Saul, who was killed by an Amalekite.

The head of the Young Turks was Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk), who was a Dönme and a direct descendant of the Jewish messiah Shabbtai Zvi. The Jewish writer and rabbi Joachim Prinz confirms this fact in his book “The secret Jews” on page 122:

“The Young Turk uprising in 1908 against the authoritarian regime of Sultan Abdul Hamid began among the intelligentsia of Thessaloniki. It was there that the need for a Constitutional regime arose. Leaders of the revolution that led to the creation of a more modern government in Turkey included Javaid Bey and Mustafa Kemal. Both were ardent denme. Javaid Bey became Minister of Finance, Mustafa Kemal became the leader of the new regime and took the name Ataturk. His opponents tried to use his Dönma affiliation to discredit him, but without success. Too many of the Young Turks in the newly formed revolutionary cabinet prayed to Allah, but their real prophet was Shabbtai Zevi, the Messiah of Smyrna (Izmir - author's note)."

October 14, 1922TheLiterary Digest published an article entitled "The Sort of Mustafa Kemal is" which stated:

“A Spanish Jew by birth, an Orthodox Muslim by birth, trained at a German war college, a patriot who had studied the campaigns of the world's great generals, including Napoleon, Grant and Lee—these are said to be but a few of the outstanding personality characteristics of the new "Man on Horseback" appeared in the Middle East. He is a real dictator, correspondents testify, a man of the type who immediately becomes the hope and fear of peoples torn to pieces by unsuccessful wars. Unity and power returned to Turkey largely thanks to the will of Mustafa Kemal Pasha. Apparently no one has yet called him the "Napoleon of the Middle East", but probably some enterprising journalist will sooner or later; For Kemal's rise to power, his methods are autocratic and carefully thought out, even his military tactics are said to be reminiscent of Napoleon."

In an article entitled “When Kemal Ataturk Recited Shema Yisrael,” Jewish author Hillel Halkin quoted Mustafa Kemal Ataturk:

“I am a descendant of Shabbtai Zevi - no longer a Jew, but an ardent admirer of this prophet. I think every Jew in this country would do well to join his camp.”

Gershom Scholem wrote in his book Kabbalah on pp. 330-331:

“Their liturgies were written in a very small format so that they could be easily hidden. All the sects hid their internal affairs so successfully from the Jews and Turks that for a long time knowledge about them was based only on rumors and reports from outsiders. The Dönmeh manuscripts revealing the details of their Sabbatian ideas were only presented and examined after several Dönmeh families decided to fully assimilate into Turkish society and gave their documents to Jewish friends of Salonika and Izmir. As long as the Dönme were concentrated in Thessaloniki, the institutional framework of the sects remained intact, although several Dönme members were active in the Young Turk movement that arose in that city. The first administration that came to power after the Young Turk revolution in 1909 included three Dönme ministers, including the Minister of Finance Javid Bek, who was a descendant of Baruch Rousseau's family and was one of the leaders of his sect. One of the claims that was commonly made by many of Thessaloniki's Jews (denied, however, by the Turkish government) was that Kemal Atatürk was of Dönme origin. This view was eagerly supported by many of Atatürk’s religious opponents in Anatolia.”

The Inspector General of the Turkish Army in Armenia and the Military Governor of the Egyptian Sinai during World War I, Rafael de Nogales, wrote in his book “Four Years Beneath the Crescent” on pp. 26-27 that the main architect of the Armenian Genocide, Osman Talaat, was dönme:

“He was a Hebrew renegade (dönmeh) from Thessaloniki, Talaat, the chief organizer of massacres and deportations, who, fishing in troubled waters, succeeded in his career from postal clerk modest rank to Grand Vizier of the Empire."

In one of Marcel Tinaire's articles in L'Illustration in December 1923, which was translated into English and published as Saloniki, it is written:

“Today's Dönme, associated with Free Masonry, trained in Western universities, often professing total atheism, became the leaders of the Young Turk revolution. Talaat Bek, Javid Bek and many other members of the Unity and Progress Committee were Dönme from Thessaloniki.”

The London Times on July 11, 1911, in the article “Jews and the situation in Albania” wrote:

“It is well known that under Masonic auspices the Thessaloniki Committee was formed with the help of the Jews and Dönmeh, or crypto-Jews of Turkey, whose headquarters are in Thessaloniki, and whose organization even under Sultan Abdul Hamid took a Masonic form. Jews such as Emmanuel Carasso, Salem, Sassoun, Farji, Meslah and Dönmeh, or crypto-Jews such as Javaid Bek and the Balji family, took an influential part in both the organization of the Committee and the work of its central body in Thessaloniki. These facts, which are known to every government in Europe, are also known throughout Turkey and the Balkans, where the trend is increasingly noticeable hold the Jews and the Dönme responsible for the bloody failures committed by the Committee».

On August 9, 1911, the same newspaper published a letter to its Constantinople editorial office, which included comments on the situation from the chief rabbis. In particular it was written:

“I will simply note that, according to the information I have received from genuine Freemasons, most of the lodges founded under the auspices of the Grand Orient of Turkey since the Revolution were from the very beginning the face of the Committee of Union and Progress, and they were not then recognized by the British Freemasons . The first "Supreme Council" of Turkey, appointed in 1909, contained three Jews - Caronry, Cohen and Fari, and three Dönme - Djavidaso, Kibarasso and Osman Talaat (the main leader and organizer of the Armenian genocide - author's note)."

To be continued…

Alexander Nikishin For