Qamishli, Syria, commemorates Armenian Genocide 111th anniversary, draws parallels with present
hawarnews.com
A lecture organized by the Armenian Social Council in cooperation with the Armenian Union Party, commemorating the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, highlighted the massacres and forced displacement which Armenians were exposed to at the hands of the Ottoman state, a systematic extermination that targeted their existence and identity, noting that what happened in history bears similarities to what the world is witnessing today in terms of conflicts that are planned and target other peoples.
The Armenian Social Council, in cooperation with the Armenian Union Party, organized a lecture on Thursday at al-Qira’a (The Reading) Park in Qamishlo to commemorate the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, remember the victims, and highlight the historical and humanitarian dimensions of this tragedy.
The event was attended by representatives of the Autonomous Administration institutions, as well as religious, community, and cultural figures from various components; Yazidis, Muslims, and Christians.
The lecture comprised three main axes; the first of which presented by Hanna Soumi; the researcher specializing at indigenous peoples’ affairs, addressed the massacres and genocides perpetrated against Armenians at the Ottomans’ hands, reviewing the historical background and humanitarian consequences. The second axis focused on agreements related to Armenia, while the third one explored the commonalities among peoples who have suffered genocide, emphasizing the nature of the threats these peoples have faced throughout history.
In his lecture, Hanna Soumi addressed a number of historical issues related to the Armenian genocide, and recalled the genocide during the Ottoman era, saying, “The Ottomans exterminated more than a million Armenians with a Turanian mentality.” He pointed out that the Ottoman project was an Islamist political project, and the massacres began from 1877 until 1908. Then, preparations were made for another phase of genocide during the Young Turk Movement between 1908 and 1918, followed by a third phase that culminated in the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923, which eliminated what remained of the Armenians’ rights. The Kurds were also affected, considering that these events are linked to Islamist political thought, which led to the fragmentation of peoples.
Soumi stated that the Russian Empire, as an Orthodox Tsarist state, sympathized with the Armenians, adding that it had managed to enter Armenian territories, particularly Western Armenia, which comprised six provinces. He noted that these regions were granted to the Armenians under the Treaty of San Stefano, signed on March 3, 1878, which granted them rights related to the six provinces. This was later amended in the Berlin Treaty on July 13, which, affirmed in Articles 16 and 61 the guarantee of Armenian rights and the implementation of reforms in the Armenian regions.
He pointed out that the Ottoman authorities under Sultan Abdel Hamid II did not accept these reforms and began neglecting these regions, arresting and killing Armenians. He noted that the Armenians responded with the Sassoun Uprising of 1894, led by Armenian political parties against the Ottoman rule, and that this uprising contributed to strengthening Armenian national identity.
He noted that during that period, the Hamidiye Brigades were formed, comprising groups of devout Sunni Kurds alongside some aghas (local leaders), where religious and nationalist factors intertwined, and they raised the banner of jihad as guardians of the Islamic empire against the Armenians.
Soumi pointed out that the Sassoun events continued until 1896, resulting, according to him, in the deaths of approximately 30,000 Armenians. He also mentioned another uprising in Sassoun in 1904, during which Armenians were subjected to further massacres in that region and other Armenian areas.
He pointed out that during that period, the “Hamidiye Brigades” were formed, comprising groups of devout Sunni Kurds alongside some aghas (local notables), as religion and nationalism intertwined in this movement, which raised the banner of jihad as guardians of the Islamic empire against the Armenians.
Soumi pointed out that the Sassoun events continued until 1896, resulting, according to him, in the killing of approximately 30,000 Armenians. He also mentioned another uprising in Sassoun in 1904, during which Armenians were subjected to further massacres in that region and other Armenian areas.
Soumi made clear that coordination later took place between the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) and secular parties, with the aim of working to change the Ottoman system and establish a democratic system that included all peoples.
He addressed the Turanian ideology, pointing to what he described as the role of various groups during that historical period, and scattered historical events dating back to the late 19th century, including the convening of the First Zionist Congress in Basel in 1897.
He explained that preparations for the genocide took place through closed meetings to discuss mechanisms for ending the Armenian presence, which at the time numbered approximately three and a half million according to Ottoman state archives. He added that the Armenian elite in Istanbul was targeted, with hundreds arrested and subsequently executed.
He further stated that the killings directly targeted males, and that orders were issued by Ottoman leaders, including Talaat Pasha, to carry out widespread killings and deportations, including forced displacement towards areas in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq. He also spoke of the widespread violations that accompanied those operations.
He stated that “April 23, 1915, marked a turning point in these events, initiating the mass deportations and the accompanying human tragedies.” Eastern Anatolia was completely emptied of Armenians, and then, according to the narrative, a second phase began between 1916 and 1918, involving investigations and trials, as those responsible for these crimes were pursued, while some fled Turkey.
Soumi highlighted the crimes committed against the Armenians, which claimed the lives of over a million Armenians, who were brutally murdered during the Armenian Genocide. This genocide began primarily in 1915, and its repercussions, including killings and deportations, continued until 1923.
He noted that the deportations took place in convoys towards areas such as Deir ez-Zor, where Armenians endured harsh humanitarian conditions. Soumi also pointed out that the suffering of the Armenians continued in later phases, referring to the events in Nagorno-Karabakh, and asserting that “history is repeating itself” through Erdogan’s use of mercenaries; the Hamzat and Amshat in some recent conflicts.
At the end of the lecture, the researcher Hanna Soumi highlighted the stances of some peoples, noting that Kurdish and Yazidi figures and groups contributed to protecting Armenians and saving thousands of them, such as the Yazidi leader Hamo Sherro, in remarkable humanitarian acts that emerged during those bloody massacres perpetrated against the Armenians.
