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PROPERTIES
OF THE ARMENIANS SUBJECTED TO RELOCATION
With an order issued on June 10, 1915, the properties of the
Armenians subjected to displacement have been taken under
protection. In accordance with the order, it has been decided
to sell the properties by auction that may decay and the animals
or the production houses that must be operated, by the commissions
that were established and by auction and to send the money
to their owners.
It is understood that the Ottoman
Government showed great care in the implementation of this
order. In order to prevent any misuse, a great care has been
shown. Through the Commission on Abandoned Property, the money
coming through the auction in the names of their owners was
paid to the owners of such property. (1) When there was some
gossip was made during these sales, the government has sent
a coded telegraph to the governors, provinces and Commissions
on Left Properties on August 3rd 1915 and forbidden
the purchase of those properties by the state officers because
this could lead to some misuses. (2) But, thereafter, this
decision has been canceled in some province on the condition
of paying the real value with cash. (3)
The government has taken all
precautions in order to prevent any kind of unlawful actions.
Likewise, in a coded telegraph sent to the Chairmanship of
Commission on Abandoned Property of Sivas on August 11th
1915, it has been requested to take the precautions that would
prevent profiteering and misuses. (4) Again on the same date,
with an order sent to all provinces, the precautions to be
taken and the applications to be performed about this issue
were indicated in the form of articles (5)
In accordance with this order:
“no suspected person would be permitted to enter the evacuated
regions; in case some people have purchased properties against
cheap prices, the sales would be canceled and the real value
of the property would be determined so that illegal interests
would be prevented; the displaced Armenians would be permitted
to take any goods they want with themselves; among the goods
that can not be carry away like, the ones that would decay
would be sold, but the goods that would not decay would be
protected in the name of their owners; care would be paid
not to lose touch with the owner of the immovable assets that
would be hired, transferred and pledged and if there was any
applications carried out in violation of these provisions
starting from the date of commencement of the migration, they
would be canceled; that no disputes would be allowed about
such goods; the Armenians subjected to migration would be
permitted to sell their properties to anybody except the foreigners”
(6)
The provisions in these orders
were applied with great care and the art and commerce enterprises
that remained from the Armenians were transferred in high
prices to settlement companies, which were established, their
real value. (7) The Commission on Abandoned Property has sent
the money from sold properties to their owners. (8)
REFERENCE:
Halacoglu, Prof. Dr. Yusuf,
Facts Relating to the Armenian Displacement (1915), TTK Publication,
Ankara, 2001.
FOOTNOTES
1) Coding Office, no 53/303
2) Coding Office, no 54-A/259
3) Coding Office, no 55/107
4) Coding Office, no 54-A/385
5) For the texts of the
laws issued about the properties of the displaced Armenians,
see “Ahar mahallere nakledilen eshasin ve düyun ve matlubat-i
metrukesi hakkinda kanun-u muvakkat”, Takvim-i Vekayi, September
14th 1331 and 18 Zilkade 1333, no. 2303, 7 year;
furthermore, see Y.H.Bayur, Turkish Revolutions History, Ankara
1957, III/3, p. 45-46
6) Coding Office, no 54-A/388
7) Coding Office, no 61/31;
no 60/275; no 60/277
8) Coding Office, no 57/348;
no 57/349; no 57/350
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