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DID THE OTTOMAN GOVERNMENT REFRAIN FROM AN INVESTIGATION?
The Ottoman Empire indicated
its intent, by verbal notes addressed on 26th March
1916, to receive two jurists from each of Denmark, Norway,
Spain, Sweden and Switzerland as countries not involved in
the World War I. This initiative, of which the documents are
reproduced in the last part of this document, was blocked
by an intervention from the United Kingdom and as a result
the formation of the committee of jurists and the investigation
of the subject were blocked (1).
This move is an indication
of the fact that there was nothing against the international
law in the acts and deeds of the Ottoman Empire and an expression
of self-confidence. In fact, the prevention of this investigation
seems to be motivated by the wish to conceal the actual criminals
and descriptions. Had this committee been established, the
arrows of accusation now aimed to Turkey would hit the real
targets and the insubstantial claims would be burried.
The initiatives launched by
the Ottoman State did not come to an end with this move as
the Sublime Port requested, by its cable dated 7th
March 1920(2), the Allied Powers and Admiral Bristol
to inquire into the matter, to elucidate the facts and to
inform the Turkish and world public opinions of the outcome.
This cable was a request “for an immediate in situ examination
by an international committee of the purported massacre of
Armenians and the acquittal of the Turkish nation from the
propaganda with malice aforethought”. This plea was published
also in all the dailies as an open letter. Similarly, a group
of foreign reporters, led by Ahmet Refik, was dispatched to
Eastern Anatolia for an in-depth survey(3).
Would a State that had committed
a crime against humanity risk the consequences of such initiatives?
This example and several others to be described later will
reveal beyond any shade of doubt how far the injustice made
to the Turkish nation and history and how these indecent these
insinuations were from a humane viewpoint.
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