The First Decision on the Annihilation of Armenians Was Made on December 1, 1914, Says Turkish Genocide Scholar

Renowned Turkish genocide scholar Taner Akçam has addressed a document preserved in Turkey's archives in his article published in the opposition media outlet 'T24'. According to Ermenihaber.am, this document is the oldest known Ottoman document regarding the mass extermination of Armenians.

Dating back to December 1, 1914, this decision was made by the Erzurum Central Committee and sent to Istanbul on the same day marked as 'secret'. The decision was transmitted in telegram form and ordered the destruction of the duplicate copy available at the telegraph office.

The decision referred to the Armenians of Van and Bitlis. Article 4 of the document states, 'In both the center and the provinces, it is necessary to arrest in advance those Armenians who are the leaders of the revolution or are preparing to attack Muslims, and if they attack, to deport them to Bitlis and destroy them.'

According to Akçam, this was essentially a kind of 'preventive measure' concerning only men, and the use of the term 'annihilation' (Turk. İmha) in the document is extremely significant.

'We know from other sources that the decision of December 1, 1914, was implemented; however, in reality, it was applied not only to men but also to women and children. The annihilation practiced to prevent a potential threat is a characteristic feature of several genocides,' he writes, drawing parallels to the Holocaust committed by the Nazis against the Jews. In this case, it was also predetermined to prevent a rebellion by men, but ultimately, women and children also became targets.

Taner Akçam also notes that this was not the only official decision regarding the Armenian Genocide, which, by the way, pertained only to specific areas. The final decisions regarding the Armenian Genocide were made on February 15 and March 3, 1915. The Turkish genocide scholar reports that the existence of these decisions was corroborated by Behaeddin Şakır, a member of the central committee of the Young Turks' 'Committee of Union and Progress'.

In a letter to his colleague dated March 3, 1915, Şakır literally stated, 'The party (İttihat ve Terakki Cemiyeti) has decided to liberate the homeland from that accursed race (the Armenians), to exterminate all Armenians living in Turkey, so that not a single Armenian remains, and has authorized the government in this regard. The government will provide the necessary instructions to the governors and military leaders regarding the methods of extermination.'

According to Akçam's testimony, the letter bears Şakır's signature, which can be easily proven.

The genocide scholar informs that there are also numerous telegrams sent to Istanbul by various governors between 1914 and 1915, in which they openly speak about the necessity of exterminating Armenians, even pressing Istanbul to that end.

For more details, refer to the original source.