|
ATTACKS ON
ARMENIAN CONVOYS AND MEASURES TAKEN BY THE GOVERNMENT
Some Armenians have died
as the result of the attacks made to some companies during
the movement of Armenians towards their new settlement regions,
especially by the Arabic tribes between Aleppo - Zor and Armenian
committee member Urban. As understood from a coded telegraph
dated January 8th 1916, the attacks on the roads
between Aleppo and Meskene resulted in the death of many Armenians,
(1) and that approximately 2.000 of the Armenians moving from
Diyarbekir to Zor and from Saruc to Halep through Menbic road
were robbed by the Urban tribes (2).
Again in Diyarbakir
region, it has been notified that the gangs and the bandits
killed almost 2.000 people including Armenians and Non - Muslims.
Upon this event, it has been notified severely that such events
should be immediately stopped and peace should be absolutely
provided on the route of the companies, otherwise that province
would be held responsible for the actions of the bandits.
(3)
A coded telegraph sent to Diyarbekir,
Mamuretülaziz and Bitlis provinces on June 14th
1915 informing that another company of 500 people were killed
as the result of the Kurd attacks between Erzurum — Erzincan
road. Upon this event, the use of any kind of instruments
against the attacks of the villagers and the tribes and
severe punishment of the ones attempting murder and usurpation
had been ordered. (4)
The Ottoman government has
shown extra ordinary efforts for providing food and the security
of the companies while fighting against the enemy. It has
shown great sensitivity about the murders and robberies, to
which Armenians have been subjected to and tried to provide
the safe performance of this transportation. With the instructions written to the administrations in the provinces, to which the transportation
was made, the ones attacking the Armenian companies have been
punished. The government, following up the precautions taken
about this issue, has asked how many were punished harmed
to the Armenian convoys, in the coded telegram it sent to
Erzurum, Adana, Ankara, Halep, Hüdavendigar, Diyarbekir, Sivas,
Trabzon, Konya, Mamoretülaziz provinces and Urfa, Izmit, Zor,
Karesi, Kayseri, Kütahya, Maras, Karahisar administrators on September 5 1915. (5)
On the other hand, Investigation Commissions have been established for determining the officers, who showed
reluctance or unlawful actions during the transportation of
the Armenian companies. A commission consisting of Muhtar
Bey, Ankara Province civil service investigator, and Kaymakam
Muhiddin Bey, Izmir Gendarme Regional Investigator under the
chairmanship of Asim Bey, first chief of Interrogation Court
has been sent to Adana, Halep, Suriye, Urfa, Zor and Maras
regions (6) and a commission to which Ismail Hakki Bey, member
of State Council has also participated, under the chairmanship
of Hulusi Bey, chairman of Court of Appeal has been sent to
Hüdavendigar, Ankara, Izmit, Karasi, Kütahya, Eskisehir, Kayseri,
Karahisar-i sahib and Nigde regions. (7)
A third commission consisting
of Nihad, Public Prosecutor of Istanbul Court of First Instance and Ali Naki Bey, a Gendarme Major under the chairmanship of Mazhar Bey,
former governor of Bitlis has been appointed in Sivas, Trabzon,
Erzurum, Mamuretülaziz, Diyarbekir, Bitlis and Canik regions.
In a coded confidential telegraph sent to Mazhar Bey, who
was the chairman of this commission and was in Sivas at that
time, the commission has been requested to carry out the necessary
investigations at the locations they visited and then to report
the results of such investigations continuously to the center.
(8)
In accordance with the instructions given to the commissions, gendarme, police officers or directors would be
sent to the Court Martial in accordance with the result of
the investigation to be carried out about them. A list of
the ones sent to the Court Martial would be given to the Ministry
of Internal Affairs. The results of the investigations to
be carried out about the governors and district governors
would be first submitted to the Ministry of Internal affairs
and the transactions would be carried out in accordance
with the order given. If there occurred any misuse among the
Court Martial chairmen or members and military officers, those
people would be notified to the related army commanderships.
In the light of the reports
given by the investigation commissions, many officers misusing
their duties (stealing money and goods from the companies,
causing the companies be subject to violation because of not
performing their protection duties as required, acting in
violation of the transportation order) have been discharged.
Some of them have been judged at the Court Martial and have
been sentenced to heavy punishments. (9)
REFERENCE:
Halacoglu, Prof. Dr. Yusuf,
Facts Relating to the Armenian Displacement (1915), TTK Publication,
Ankara, 2001
FOOTNOTES
1) Coding Office, no.
59/244
2) Coding Office, no.
56/140; 55 — A/144
3) Coding Office, no.
54/406; no 54 — A/73; no 54 — A/248
4) Coding Office, no 54/9;
no 54/162
5) Coding Office, no 55-A/84
6) Coding Office; no 56/186
7) Coding Office; no 56/355;
no 58/38
8) Coding Office, no 56/267
9) Coding Office, no 58/278;
no 58/141; no. 55-A/156; no. 55-A/157; no 61/165; no 57/116;
no 57/416; no 57/105; no 59/235; no 54-A/326; no 59/196
|
