PART I: ORIGINAL ESSAYS

Genocide of Assyrians prior and in the First World War time

By Dr. Ijova M. Sargospv

(From unpublished works)

     Prior to the wartime Assyrians had a rather compact population in the Hakkiari area in the Turkish Van region, Iranian Urmia and Mesopotamian Mosul. Its population was around one million living as one nation on one well organized territory with one culture, language and long established self-regulation methods and traditions.

     Highland Assyrians who lived in Asian Turkey were having political, military and religious unity under Patriarch Mar Shimmun Benyamin who was authorized by the Turkish government to work out all local issues. Mar Shimmun Benyamin was the spiritual leader of the whole Assyrian nation in the near and Middle East.

     The situation in Turkey was very tense long before the First World War was waged. According to the Russian Consul in Van Mar Shimmun addressed to him as early as in 1906 with his worries about his own nation and with anxiety for the whole world indeed.    “It is difficult for me now to hold back my own people as discontent builds up day by day, and I am afraid it all might cause some uprising.”1

     As R. S. Stafford observed “It would be a great benefit for Turks to show the world public that whatever happened to Armenians in Turkey, the other Christian community might feel content with their own destiny.”2.

     What was their actual position? Academician E. V. Tarle seems to give it a full answer 'The Young Turks even before they destroyed almost all Armenians in 1915 to boast about it ever after, they came to power in 1908 with only one firm decision to settle all national problems by destroying all nationalities except Turks and those who would agree to become Turkish promptly. The Young Turks organization were deliberately aimed at destruction of all aliens in their homeland as the only means to save Turkey from disintegration.”3

     Before the war began, Turks naturally were worried much about the instability in the country. In this respect they inevitably were to take into account the anti-Turkish attitudes among Armenians and Assyrians who might be danger to Turkey if allied with Kurds. Moreover, Turks were much more afraid to have both of them on the Russian side. And yet besides, they knew well that Assyrians often were eager to support Kurds with armed hands and could expect a military aid in return. As that was the case, Porta tried to come into alliance with Armenians and Assyrians by hook or by crook just in order to use both in their political game. Lies and promises were as instrumental as they were before.

     In early October 1914 the chief of Van Dervish Effendi promised Mar Shimmun Benyamin some good favor for all Assyrians from Turkey. Besides everything, he I promised to open new schools and hospitals, 1 to make regular payments to the clergy, etc. only if Assyrians would be loyal and Mar Shimmun would pledge to stay away from Russia in the conflict in a written form.4

     To refute this hypocritical promise here is what was declared in a program adopted by the Young Turks at their Party congress, “Sooner or later but we are just bound to undertake total Osmanization of all Turkish subjects. But, it must be clear now; that we just cannot succeed without force and violence as persuasion or any other form of conviction would fail us.”5

     To implement this program the Young Turks Committee worked out a plan of massive destruction of all non-Turkish elements. Dr. Nazim, a Committee member, addressing the secret meeting said, “Massacre is inevitable... I want only Turks to be independent in this land... All non-Turkish elements whatever nationality, they must be destroyed.”6

     The success of the plan was predetermined by the war. The Turkish home affair minister said to one officer from the German Embassy that they were making the use of the wartime to get rid of their enemies (Christians) in their own land ultimately without a fear of any country's political or other interference.7 Those words came from one of the cruelest and most cynical Turkish leaders, and one of the organizers of massacre of Armenian and Assyrian people as well.

     Just for a word, Turks never feared that nations would interfere as the genocide in 1914-1915 was just one more chain in the line of ferocious actions Turkish leaders had long been taking in pursuit of their antihuman policy by then. According to one American newspaper 'New Week' Sultan Abdul Hamid II launched a massacre in Armenia and Anatolia back in 1895-96, killing 300 000 Armenians and 55 000 Assyrians and Osmanising over l00, 000 citizens (of 245 villages) by force. Another l00, 000 women, maidens and children were taken into Turkish harems. Mustafa Kemal alone destroyed 750 000 Greeks and 300 000 Assyrians in. between 1919 and 1923 just for what they all were by religion, and they all were Christians, that was their only fault.8.

     This time around the Young Turks under the pretext of 'strengthening' the country from inside kept trying to win Kurdish feudal over their side, and on the other hand, to sow dragon's teeth between them and Armenians and Assyrians altogether. This way Kurds were allowed to take raids into Armenian and Assyrian lands to sack them. On condition that they should support Turkish troops they would supposedly get money and arms from Turks.9.

     In some way Turkish provocations really hit the target. Its cause was mainly Jihad propaganda organized by the Turkish government. Hostility between nations being masterly spurred was much in line with the Turkish policy then. Firstly, it was a good safeguard against the possibility of anti-Turkish joint upheaval. Secondly, Turks actually aimed at weakening the position of everyone against them. Thirdly, they sought to divert Kurds from their own poverty and tribulations.10

     Turkish provocations found counteraction eventually. In October 3rd, 1914 Mr. Vvedensky, the Russian Vice Consul in Urmia along with the local governor came to visit the places where Kurds had put up a bloody massacre. Turkish and Persian soldiers, a matter of fact, had taken part in it in the villages of Angar, Lavach and others. In his message the Vice Consul said, “Anywhere we came we saw ferocious sights of Jihad.' In the places he went through he found burnt corpses of Assyrian Christians outside their destroyed houses lain in ashes too. As he went on, all the villages around are still on fire. Just everything is burning. Assyrian families have flocked together out both in the town or outside in the destroyed villages.”11

     In return the Turkish authorities spread rumors about Russia's intention to arm Assyrians against Kurds.12

     As Turks built a wedge between Kurds and Assyrians they turned to slaughter the latter. This barbarian act the Young Turks undertook along with German Intelligence service. Vice Consul Vvedensky said in his message of October 24, 1914, 'Turks took repressive actions against Assyrians in Shamdinan. People were forced out of their homes and departed to Urmia beyond Turkey. Crowds of refugees are growing in numbers by day. There is much talk about some slaughter day that presumes ably is due to come soon. The Assyrian metropolit Mar Khnanish sent out his messenger to the Russian Consul in October 23rd. He wanted help urgently.”13 The next day Mr. Vvedensky informed about arrival of over 600 Assyrian refugees in Iran.”14

     As a result of the slaughter in September 1914 some 30 Armenian and Assyrian villages were burnt down. As the newspaper 'Baku' said, “Fires went along with incredible ferocities. In one Assyrian village Kanachar alone over 200 people were burnt alive, among those victims were old men, women and children alike.”15

     Facing such an ordeal Assyrians just could not sit and wait until Turks came and murdered them, one by one. So they rose to fight for independence with arms in their hands.

     In November14, 1914, Mr. Vvedensky cabled that they had intercepted and deciphered one secret letter from Turkish Consul in Urmia. This information confirmed the plan of Turkish fast and secret attack and capture of the entire Urmia region by regular Turkish army troops with a view to create a military base for further offensive tactics in two directions, namely, Khoi-Julfa and Sulduz-Soudjbulag with further on into Tebriz. (16).

     In this situation Russians had to turn to use such an anti- Turkish force as Assyrians. Prior to the war conflict the chief commander of the 6th Caucasian regiment colonel Dokuchaev and chief of staff of the Azerbaijan-Van regional task group colonel Andrievsky in their official address to Dr. Ishai Bet-Jonan, the Assyrian National Council chairman in Urmia suggested Assyrians come and join the Allies in the forthcoming war with Turkey. In response Mar Shimmun Benyamin promised the Russian Consul in Van, Mr. R. I. Tennen to gather as many as 40 000 warriors for combat.17

     Assyrians promptly started to form volunteers groups. The captain of staff Khan-Pira (an Assyrian in the Russian military service) reported to his chief about formation of Assyrian groups in and around Urmia. According to his statistics as of September 20th till December 2, 1914 Assyrians were supplied 2500 rifles along with shells.18 Though these measures were not enough anyway. Colonel Andrievsky wrote to general army quartermaster of the Caucasian Russian army about 'insufficient amounts of rifles and ammunition focusing on over 10 000 militant Assyrians of Turkey who would remain unarmed'.19 According to captain Khan-Pira 11 Assyrian battalions were formed totally in Urmia, 9 of them (until Turkey declared a war) were designated to guard Assyrian settlements against Turkish raids. (20).

Iranian powers were hostile to the Russian troops as they entered Iranian territory without sanction from the Iranian government. Obviously, they did not mind to show their discontent with formation of Assyrian guards either.

     Simultaneously with Sarykamish operation Turks activated their military presence in and around Urmia. Having been worried by the Turkish offensive on Sarykamish, the general governor Vorontzov-Dashkov feared that the Russian army group in Urmia would be cut off from the main force and eventually destroyed by the strong Turkish force. That is why the governor ordered in December 2dh, 1914 that general Chernozubov should dislocate this army group to Khoi without advising the Assyrian commanders while Assyrian battalions were fighting tooth and nail against a very strong enemy's force. Evidently Vorontzov's decision was a safeguard of the Russian army group, but in terms of Christian population in Urmia on the whole, and Assyrians in particular this decision was nothing but a plan to leave them to face the powerful enemy alone.

     Now let us consider the consequences in Urmia after withdrawal of general Chernozubov'se task group. Here is below what Assyrian refugees eye witnessed and said in their letters to Vorontzov-Dashkov:

     “On 20th of December 1914, the Russian task group that was stationed in Urmia was unexpectedly withdrawn leaving our Assyrians behind to fight back Turks in Rashikan, Babari, Ardi-shakh and Geitan. We were promised manpower and fire supplies. Knowing no Russian withdrawal our guards courageously checked on the Turkish offensive on Urmia. When our guards had no more fire supplies, they were to die in combat or surrender to the enemy. Having found it out Turks and Persians came and killed them all. 98 settlements were demolished and villagers were stripped naked, males were murdered as one and women, maidens and children were all taken captive. No one can describe the trials and tribulations of those people they have been exposed until recently.”21 Furthermore, refugees said that “22,000 men, women and children fled from different places to American and French missions in Urmia suffering from famine, sickness and crush hoping to be rescued from this hell but all in vain as they found no relief. People were taken out beaten and humiliated. The latest news said the Orthodox bishop Mar Ilya along with priests and deacons were taken out of the mission building and hanged in public, 500 people are reported to have been murdered, and Turks took some 800 women and maidens somewhere out. The American missioners send out messengers to the Russian army units almost every day begging them to rescue the unhappy but still alive Christians. Though Russians station in Salmast (a hundred kilometers to the north of Urmia), but nobody comes for help from anywhere.” 22

     Assyrians found themselves 'locked up” in the American mission center. Though they were sheltered with Dr. Shedd, but they were in a very difficult situation. In the archives one can find out that some 10,000 people died in mission centers in 5 months.” 23

The newspaper “The Word of the Caucasus” wrote, “Christians who did not manage to flee and had to stay in their places mainly in and around Dilman were cut down almost as one by order from the chief of a raiding force Jevlet-pasha. As a matter of fact, this order was found in the captured archives. In the village of Gevtuan the former governor of Dilman and volunteers from the local garrison executed some terrible violence over the gathered Christian Assyrians the world had not known since the time of bashibouzuks.”24

     Another newspaper 'Baku' wrote of 5 March 1915,  “After we occupied Dilman we found out that all 20 nearest Assyrian villages just lay in ruins. Dead bodies of the villagers were scattered all around the place. We learned that Turks had come and cut them all down three days before us. People mainly were killed ferociously by ax, dagger or some blunt things.”25

     The only solution for Assyrians was to escape annihilation and flee to Russia. Russian Consul Vvedensky can find a terrible description of Assyrian exodus from Urmia to the Russian border in the telegram. He witnessed “Some 15,000 Assyrian refugees are moving on from Urmia in the direction of the Russian border through Dilman, Khoi and Julfa. Mainly it is women and children from all walks of life, but presumably poor people make the most of them. I, personally, watched them moving down along a 40-mile stretch from Urmia to Kushna. It just looked like an endless passage of refugees.”26

     The newsman from 'Mshak' paper S. Melikyan who visited Northern Iran in the company of a British journalist shared in his impressions, “Panic swept Urmia before we reached Tebriz. By this time columns of Assyrian refugees had arrived there. Actually, they were heading for Salmast, and they were doing -as it fast as they could just to save their lives from Turks. Aissors totaled about 40 000. On the road to Dilman we saw a lot of perils. One should be very strong to see it all. Refugees were lying almost naked on street and on the high road. Besides, they were starving as well.”27

     The war caused a lot of trouble to Assyrians of Turkish Highlands. Since May 1915 Assyrian volunteers often engaged heavy combat with Turkish troops as Patriarch Mar Shimmun and general Agha Poutrus Elov heated them. The Assyrian struggle against Turkish headhunters was at best highlighted in the correspondence between the Russian and Assyrian liberation movement in Turkey on the other hand. On 27 of May 1915 general Chernozubov cabled to general quartermaster of the Russian Caucasian army the information he received from the Assyrian Patriarch Mar Shimmun, “I am reporting that I received through Agha Poutrus cable No 1513 where you demanded some action against Turks. I sent my soldiers, and they took Julamerk. Now I am in the open opposition to Turks... I want 20 000 guns as Russia promised. We really need them now.”28

     Anyway, Mar Shimmun never received any support from Russia. Taking a chance with it, the Turkish government organized a massacre of Assyrians. Large combat units were sent to Hakkiari. Assyrians stood fighting tooth and nail indeed. As Victor Shklovsky once said figuratively, “Assyrians were fighting like lions attacking the automobile and biting its headlights.”29

     Assyrians stood fast in 14 fights with the overpowering enemy. The newspaper 'Terek” cited Assyrian refugees who said, “And then the killing of Christians began... Almost every villager was murdered in 30 settlements of the Gjavar area. If Russians should come to rescue, Assyrians will be saved. Otherwise all of about 50 000 will undoubtedly be destroyed for Assyrians had very few guns or shells. 18 days ago we just witnessed a sweeping massacre, maybe, it is not yet over. It was so ferocious that it still breaks our heart.”30

     Much can be said about endless tribulations of the Assyrian people in Turkey during the First World War and about their heroic struggle side by side with the Armenian people against Turkish slaughters. I decided to write this little piece just in order to re- mind some historians including the highly esteemed academician Nersesyan who made the main speech about genocide at the International workshop in Erevan on 17 April 1990, and who said nothing of Assyrians. Moreover, he even did not find it necessary to answer a relevant question to that. It is absolutely impossible for the academician and historian as well not to find any reference to the genocide of Assyrians in Turkey while he was working on his 2-volume contribution to the problem. Nor he could hardly miss the archives that indicate that the Assyrian battalions were headed by general Agha Poutrus Elov who for them was just somewhat like general Andranik for Armenians as they fought Turks. And the last but not the least the esteemed academician was surely aware that Assyrians are the closest relative nation to Armenians. And this small nation lost about one million lives in the genocide years the academician Nersesyan was so eloquent about. How dare not they had their hats off or bend their knees to their heroic deeds and memory. It is time to see that the 1915 genocide victims in Turkey must also equally refer to Assyrians along with Armenians. Whatever the academician Nersesyan would know or tell.

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