ANKARA (Hurriyet)—In the late 1930s, the nascent Turkish Republic massacred a village of Kurds and Armenian Genocide Survivors under the guise of an operation against a fabricated Kurdish rebellion, previously unseen photographs, historically important documents and eye-witness accounts reveal.
Hasan Saltuk the author of a new 600-page book said his research seeks to unravel the taboo of the Dersim Massacres.
Set to be released in May in both English and Turkish, the book will challenge the official history of the incident, using primary sources to reveal the government’s role in the brutal massacre of this Kurdish village in the formative years of the modern Turkish Republic.
“Over 13,000 people were killed by Turkish armed forces during the operation and 22,000 were exiled. Orphaned children were subjected to Turkification policies in orphanages,” Saltuk said.
The official historical sources say the 1938 operation in Dersim, now called Tunceli, was implemented to quash a Kurdish tribal rebellion. Saltuk’s research, however, reveals otherwise.
“We see in the documents that the Dersim operation was planned; the reports were prepared in 1920. The law related to the operation was passed in 1935 and action was taken in 1937. Seyit Rıza and his friends were hanged on grounds that they were leading a rebellion,” Saltuk said.
Although the government at the time labeled it a Kurdish tribal insurrection, Saltuk said the fundamental reason behind the operation was that the region was home to Tunceli Alevis who were merely Armenian Genocide survivors that had changed their identities.
“The official sources say Dersim residents were not paying taxes or performing military service and that they were always rebelling. However, we have documents proving the opposite. Ataturk led the Dersim operation himself,” he said.
“Historians here cannot go beyond the official ideology; they do not do any research. Those who do research and know the truth cannot raise a voice because they are afraid,” Saltuk said.
The book reprints the comments he found on the back of all the photographs he obtained. In many cases, the comments expressed remorse for the events in Dersim. “[Many] felt qualms of conscience for what was experienced. Some expressed their feelings with the words, ‘I have become a murderer.’ Others wrote, ‘I caused the deaths of 250 people,’” Saltuk said.
The project involved following the trails of surviving soldiers who participated in the operation, Saltuk said, adding that he saw many who were unable to adapt to social life. “Many soldiers we [interviewed] demanded their names be made public after their deaths. A few people did not mind having their names in the book; some said, ‘They ordered us to kill and we did,’” he said.
He obtained hundreds of original photos and maps alongside two dossiers of population records from the grandchild – whose name Saltuk withheld – of a high level civil servant from that era. “The invaluable documents and photographs in the dossiers reveal the operation in all its detail. However, it is without doubt that much more striking files are in the archives of the Turkish General Staff.”
Saltuk, who is the owner of the Kalan record label, a researcher and an ethnomusicologist, has spent nine years collecting previously unseen photographs, historically important documents and comments from soldiers who participated in the operation..
A member of one of the oldest families of Dersim, Saltuk said that even though he was from a Turkmen tribe on his father’s side, dozens of their relatives were murdered during the operation.
“My grandmother was pregnant with my mother but she saved herself from the firing squad at the last minute,” Saltuk said in an interview with the Turkish Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review. “Dersim residents are still afraid to talk. The elderly still think somebody’s going to come and kill them.”
Saltuk said he believes that Turkey has entered an age of great change. “All the taboos of this country will be broken and, in the future, there will not be anything that cannot be spoken about.”
The current Turkish government’s and majority of Turkish population’s mindset is still very much able to commit fresh genocides. Turks have not changed a bit from what they were.
The mindset of killing and looting other nations is the definition and the identity of Turkishness. If you take this monstrous mindset away from them, Turks will seize to exist.
Does anyone really doubt the real nature of a Turk? More importantly no one seems to really mind the Turkish genocidal revisionist trait. A book like this, though accurate, will go in the dust bin with all the other official documents and archival material that seems to make no difference to anyone. It will be ignored just as genocide is happening right now under our nose and it doesn’t make a difference to anyone.
The Genocide continues, Armenians were victimized by organized massacres well before 1915 and it continued well into the 1930’s and 1940’s. Now we find ourselves at 2010 and the Genocide of the Armenian people is again beginning to pick up momentum. Governments around the world are accessories to this unresolved crime against humanity. Turkey is winning the battle once again as the international community has allowed Turkey to tip toe around the TRUTH and trample upon the souls of those who perished, those who survived and those who continue to seek justice. We as a nation need to repopulate our sacred lands. We need to leave America and Europe and other parts of the diaspora. We need to shift our resources and wealth back to Armenia and Artsakh. We as a nation need to step up the fight. The ink has run dry once again and the sword must be unsheathed. Peace through superior firepower. We must declare war on all Turkish interests all over the world, and especially in ARMENIA.
Where are Armenians and Armenian organizations that claim to bring perpetartors of Armenian Genocide to justice?
progress – since the 20th century and now into the 21st century. By labelling the Kurds as the ‘terrorist Kurds’ – Turks pursue this misnomer for their policy to eliminate another non-Turk from Turkey… Turkey for the Turks, as they are wont to say…
Turkey is changing rapidly and we are not same people like before.We are getting more mature people and can see our mistakes in those days.Like Armenian Genocide or Dersim Genocide.I think it s late to recognize our mistakes but that game has been prepared with the super powers of the world.Turkish leadership is changing and reparing past with the power of the economy and educated people of New Turkey.
I think several of Nations has done those kind mistakes at the past.Like Germans,USA goverments,Belgians,French goverments,Spanish Kingdom,Japanese Kingdom ,Russians etc.
unfortunately we are very week nation, has no power and no money no oil or gaz to offer someting to those hayinas in the west in particular, those so called oil and gas pipes linking to the west is very dangerous!! we are like a football getting kick left and right by the supper powers, oils procucers, and the western market, what can we offer in exchange of peace and sovereignty and independance. wisdom and unity is requiered.
The first thing the CUP did in 1908 when coming into power was starting military operations in Dersim massacring thousands and making thousands refugees…. Armenians and Alevi Zazas. Research needs to be done on this issue. I think it would bear fruit on many fronts both historical and political. BTW, these Alevi Zazas are neither moslems or turks thus the reasoning for killing them.
Tueks are killers a still kill and they will continue to kill as long as it did n’t receive the right punishment for it did
recently some armenian homes are marked in istanbul… and many non christians are going to be murderred or captured by a group under turkish army , this later will be used against AKP goverment for making an strike against goverment.
I agree with Kharpertsi Kevo. Unless most of the Diaspora repatriates to Armenia and Artsakh and push Serge out of his chair, put on the throne of Armenia a manly and a real patriotic Armenian president to push out Turkey’s barbaric and belligerent ways and not to give in to Turkey’s unjustified and illegal territorial claims and passing of the illegal Kars treaty written in today’s protocols. Turkey backed up by the world powers is continuing the Genocide by having it denied for 94 years and now the illegal protocols.
There is one solution for the Diasporan Armenians; bring our wealth and ourselves to Armenia and Artsakh and fight for our rights and the right of our lands from within.
We lost when we thought non christians are not belong to us and we will be more happy without them.So we cleaned our land from non-christians but we are not still happy.The problem is
hate and pride.Some of Turks thing they are over all of the other nations and they are strongest and smartest nation.This is the begining of the loose.Do you think Turks are stronger when they killed and deported Armenians ?No ! They were in weakest period in their history and they exterminated their selves.First they saw Armenian are different and started to exterminate them.
Now we can see what we have done.Current Turkish Republic is homeland of Diaspora Armenians and we need to see them comeback to their homeland.The solution is
starting to thinking peace for cleaning hate from our nations.We need to stop nationalist wings of our nations.
I agree with Mr. Ozan, We spurk or diaspora should see the changes in turkey, and even encourage and help them for changes and publish books in turkish(Thanks for Peri publishing for doing great job) have good relations with turkish students in abroad and tell them about the truth. Because the truth will give all us freedom. Finally they will understand how anotolian people have suffered because of racisim. in the past we lived together we can do it again in peace(I hope).
You say we lived in peace with the turks and kurds in the past? This is the biggest lie that gullible Armenians have swallowed! It was constant misery to live with them from the get go till now. How do you think they whittled us down from 100% of the population to 20-25%? Rape, robbery, murder, kidknapping Armenian girls to forcible marry a moslem, forced conversions to Islam, slavery, no legal justice between a moslem and an Armenian in a dispute, the list goes on…. And all of these miseries happened for the entire 1,000 years of their illegal occupation of Southwest Asia. They started out as maurauding nomadic thugs and then they became sedentary thugs. I can give you examples from every part of the lands they controlled and during every time period. large clusters of Armenian villages in the 1770-1780″s were forcibly converted to islam in the Armenian highlands just because the local ruler was feeling especially islamic. In some areas the local kurdish or turkish aga would have the right to have sex with an Armenian or Assyrian bride the night of her wedding. Is that the kind of peace you are talking about? Let there be a full accounting of what they did, since they and you think it was peace and let us rule over them like they did to us, no more no less and call it peace.
I understand you(we) have so pain because of loossing a culture and a nation in our homeland. Yes during centuries many groups forced to changes their identity and religious turned into kurds or turks or arabs… so if many of them you think are armenian origin why you dont want to live in peace with them?( I can tell you some ashirets name also…) who help turks(Alparslan) and direct to into anatolia for fighting against Bizantium in Malazgert… Didnt Armenians helped Alparslan? Who helpped Enver and Talat to get the power? why armenian didnt see the coming big genocide after Adana? We are really pour nation :(, and cant do real politics. Still anybody knows the power behind ittahats? why we didnt see big countries responsibility in our tsehasbanutyun? sometimes I think no need to ask recognizing genocide from them becuase they know that from the first days … so inchou anonk im aryouni irents shahin hamar goktarkortsen asika medzi hamar yekrort amot che? mer aryouni irents zenk dzahelou hamar g@ oktakorsen… Today if turkey goverment says any armenian can come and live in homeland. How many people goes back? how many have gone back to armenia? To Dino(your name is kurdish, and I like it.) the things you mentioned above are new discussions in turkey… who will leave his home in LA and come back to Mush Erzourum or Kars? So what armenians really want I dont know also… Dino it is not a century ago… first we should built the real peace for all of us… then you will see how many people understanding your pain also…. one day real turkey people will understand when armenian greeks and assurians left the country they lost their freedom at least about economics. hope so alwyas keep in mind the past but rebuilding our happy fature…
You and Cullu have been for years selling your damaged ideas to unexpecting Armenians. It’s amazing how you guys pop up everywhere on the internet and spread your happy coated lies. I remember you from way back when and you said you were married to a turk in Istanbul. I guess you are finding your path in life by sleeping with the enemy. Where do I begin in unraveling each and every idea you presented in your latest post. You have written these same words many times before. And they still don’t holdwater. Someone needs to write a book about turkish sophistry to clearly show how EVERYTHING turkish propagandists say is ludicrous . (Hmmmm what an interesting project) It’s nice to know you made no attempt to disagree with me, or should I say you glossed over, about what you barbarians have done in the past to the original inhabitants of Asia Minor and Armenia. You continue, to molest non sunni’s and you will continue to do so in the future. It’s your nature as barbarians. I personally feel no pain about your destroying my family, my culture and my nation. Ever heard the saying, don’t get mad, get even . There is only one legitimate treaty between Armenia and turkey and that is the Treay of Sevres. Turkey is occupying 35,000 square miles of the Armenian Republic. You must accept an Armenian version of peace, not a barbarian version of peace. Anyone who is in turkish occupied Armenia who claim to be Armenian may stay. All those who help to destroy turkey will be rewarded with the best of Anatolia. Our movement has a motto to all in so called turkey: help us and you MAY stay, be neutral and you MUST leave, fight us and you WILL die. Ashirets lol! You mean Nakharars. (we know the ashirets of the kurds who murdered us, we know their names and their villages) The Armenian people did not want central asian barbarians on the Armenian plateau. Some Nakharars who were stuck between a rock and a hard place decided to help the rabid dog called alposlan to save themselves from being dispossed of their patrimony. And of course they converted to mohammedanism and disappeared. The lesson learned from helping enver the son of a russian whore and talat the son of an albanian whore is that you cant trust barbarians at all. turks lack the western notions of fairness and honor. It can never happen due to the nature of turkish culture and mohammedanism. Europeans are not responsible for your torture, rape and murder of 5,000,000 Christians between 1849 and now. You are responsible. You must pay the bill. Interest is growing day by day. The more justice delayed the more the pain to those living in Anatolia and Thrace. I love your reasoning for denying recognition of the Armenian genocide. There must be recognition, reparation, restitution and restoration to not only of the Armenian genocide but also that of the Assyrian, Greek, Bulgarian, Yezidi and Dimli genocides. As for your questions of return, we will return to a turkish free Armenia and never live under the brutal boot of the barbarian again. How many Armenians have gone back to Armenia? Armenians outside of Armenia want to go back to their family homes in Western Armenia.Present day Armenia is not a personal home its a national homeland. Half of Hayastantsi’s have family roots in turkish occupied Armenia. They will go and lay claim to their vast agricultural lands. My name is not kurdish, just because it ends in o you think its kurdish? The jig is up Zeki Muren, an Armenian would know shortened names of Armenians is Armenian. The kurds learned to do that after they spread like a cancer north out of the plains of mesopotamia to the Armenian highlands. Nothing new is being discussed in turkey. I watch turkish tv every night. Just the same old lies Zeki. Who wants to go live in Mush, Garin or Kars? That’s not your problem. The fewer people, the better it is for the true owners of Anatolia. Anyway, year by year more people leave turkish occupied Armenia. The population statisitcs are a lie for eastern turkey. eastern turkey is half empty so it will be easy for you guys to leave and give to us what legally belongs to us. You make assumptions that no one will go back? very wishful thinking! I dont want peace I want the barbarians to leave what does not belong to them. “when armenian greeks and assurians left the country” ? They were murdered en masse and a few survived. Understand this: at the end of the day you are going to pay. You want peace without justice. Give up your propaganda employment, you cant hypnotize real Armenians.
Its here only I meet you so dont lie about me. Yes I live in istanbul, But not married. you are really Dino! (in kurdish Khent!, crazzy). I dont belive and think your ideas will become true. I belive a democratic country will be enough for all of us to live in peace. Instead of fighting, there is a way to work together and make a happy fature for all of us in yerevan or kars or Mush.
You and cullu are on facebook touting the wonderfulness of islam and how Armenians should just forget about justice. And you two have for years been selling your happy talk. You are part of the turkish government propaganda machine on the internet. Some give the hardline turkish nationalist line as turks, some pretend to be some other nationality to show some neutrality but support the turks and some others like you, give the ‘lets live in peace’ AND forget about ANY form of justice. There are dozens of think tanks that have developed position papers and manuals on how to handle the Armenian diaspora. You are just another agent provocateur.
Back to the Dino is kurdish business. Are you that obtuse not to know o ending names for Armenians is Armenian and not originally kurdish? And back in the day, in Istanbul, Gracho, Harpo and the rest of the Marx brothers were thought to be Armenian because of their o ending names. Gracho’s name on the marquee was Arshak Palabiyikian.
I am working hard for the survival of western civilization. I am part of a greater movement than just Armenian issues. And the survival and complete justice of the Armenian people rests within the success of this greater movement. It started with the law in Switzerland against minarets. 😉 Through integration of the ideas of the Third Position and the Armenian Cause, turkey will be defeated. If turkey (and peoples associated with them) can not be defeated in Greater Europa than the survival of Armenia is impossible. Take those ideas back to your turkish masters.
Inviting me to live in Bolis? I would be arrested the moment I land. lol. I violated artical 301, insulting turkishness. I would end up like Dario Moreno. I have a better idea, your sister is here in LA why dont you hook me up with her. She and I can talk and get to know each other and she will realise what a nice guy I am and you can move here and we can live happly ever after.
My ancient patrimony is in Degik’. A sub province of Lesser Tsopk’ on the very western edge of Greater Armenia. 70 members of my family were burned to death in the family barn in August 1915, hundreds of miles from any war front. Another 500 were murdered in the same manner. 40 were away from the village and saved by Alevi Zazas.
We must speak with the Turks and others after the recognition of the Genocide and massacres against Armenians in Azerbaijan.
Thank you Papken for your kind words. Since the protocols, I will no longer stand on the sidelines. All of us must step up to the plate AND think outside the box. Thank God for the protocols for it has shown us the treachery of the big powers and those who for now, control our fatherland. Each of us can be the barbarians worst nightmare. We must defend our culture and our national issues against the vicious barbarians and their Armenian traitor lapdogs. There have always been traitors within our people working for the turks. There are hundreds of them working as we speak against the national interests of the Armenian people. They are in the U.S., in Europe, in so called turkey and in Armenia. I will always expose them and their ideas. As you can read between the lines of one them as to what their wish truely is. When a fedayee in the 19th century left his village to fight turkish and kurdish tyranny he knew that eventually he would die for Hye Tad or be victorious. Hrant Dink, who spoke not of revolutionary justice but of simple rights and simple truths lost his life because of the true nature of that barbarian society. I will be a thorn in the side of the barbarians for as long as I can. If enough of us are thorns we will bring the beast down and we will have the Armenia we want, from sea to sea to sea. Nothing is impossible. If you dont dream it, you cant plan it, if you dont plan it, you cant implement it, if you dont implement it, you have no chance for your dreams come true.
And trust me.. with my stilletoes with the pointiest tips, I can be DOUBLE sharp thorn in those bastards’ side..
I am studing international law to find legal basis to sue Turks and others who have committed Genocide against Armenians. People like Dino and Gayane are pillars of Armenian Nation. It is the national duty of all Armenians to keep legacy of such persons to be enshrined over their communities.
Papken, we are not speaking about Dino or Gayane. You don’t need to study the International law to sue the Turks. In the past it was a lawsuit. Also, see the Proclamation of the begining of the genocide:
First: All Armenians must be prepared to leave within five days from the date of this proclamation under escort of the Turkish army.
Second: You may take with you any movable items you desire, but you are forbidden to sell your homes and land…
Fifth: …Persons who aid or shelter or give food to the Armenians will be sent before Court Martial for execution.
Edik, if it is possible, please, provide me with some pointers to locate the lawsuit that you are rfering to. For example, name of plaintiffs and defendants and forum of the lawsuit.
Thank you Edik for your info. I have known about so called “Turkish Tribunal”. The sources of these information are articles printed in the local newspapers at the time if trial. The real transcripts are not either available or not accessible by historians. Furthermore, the Ottoman Empire was not on trial.
I praise Papken for working hard to do his part (regardless if it was done in the past). I understand your point of view as well; however we need to keep our spirits up and share our desires and willingness to do what we can do to keep this going..
If we can’t share it with our fellow Armenians and ESPECIALLy with our non-Armenian friends what we do in our own time and personally to assist with this cause and save our country, then what is the point for ? we need the support and love ourselves to be able to accomplish what we are set to accomplish..
Papken is a person who wants to accomplish something and studying the international law is going to do so, I say more power to him.. I hope you succeed Papken.. I really do…
Gayane, first I’d like to thank you for the kind words in previous posts. Second I think you are getting warming on what the Armenian golden rule should be. Let an Armenian do what he can do for Armenia and the Armenian cause. I like the way you think. If Papken chooses to work the legal path more power to him. Even if he succeeds modestly we all gain. If each of us do something to move our agenda ahead, we will see in our lifetime turkish occupied Armenia liberated from the evil ones. For the ones who dont think we can liberate our lands just look at history and most of it would seem impossible only a few years before it happened. Imagine in 1982 someone said in less than 9 years the soviet union would disintegrate and Armenia would be independent or someone said in 1987 we have to start organizing and help Armenia and Artsakh because the independent states of azerbaijan and Armenia will be at war? Those people would have been called crazy. Or that an Arnold would become governor of California. The future has infinite possibilities. It takeslike minded individuals coming together to make their dreams come true.
what makes me really sad is the fact that many and mostly members of the armenian diaspora don’t want to see that you don’t get anything by attacking todays turks. People like papken hartunian, Dino Ajemian, Kharpetsi Kevo, Edik and others here and all over the world are the people, who are in fact helping Turkish nationalists to go on with their policy of neglecting the historical facts. Both sides neglect the truth and the reality today, which is more complex than they believe to know, both sides diffuse widely hate speeches. And both sides help each other because they make weak people on both sides believe that the “other” is the enemy, that the “other” is dangerous … we didn’t suffer from genocide in South Tyrolia, but we suffered from Italian fascism, assimilation policies and wars … many of us had to leave their country (it was said in the thirties of the last century that all tyrolians would be deported to Abessinia or Sicily, and to remain “german” they had to leave their country and to move to austria or germany – this was called the “option” – the war however stopped this process, and many people came back). Today, we are still in Italy, we still are “occupied”, we still have to use italian names for our german villages in official documents, but does it mean i shall hate my italian neighbors? It is the year 2009, we are living in a member state of the EU, we have our rights, jobs and parties. We can’t change the past. Has it been the fault of my italian neighbor that mussolini brought his grandparents here to assimilate us 80 years ago? You might always call some political leaders criminals or worse, but never a nation. If you do, then you are just a racist and don’t deserve any respect. And if you want to prove you are better than others, then show it. Don’t talk always about yourself. See also the pain of others. Any armenian talking about the the Circassians? Or about the many thousands of Azeri IDPs? You could start and then see what happens. Maybe you will be surprised! Dealing with the past is such a difficult task, why don’t we work together and help everybody to remember their history, their pain, and sometimes their and our guilt (without accusing)?
PS. I know, if World War One would have seen Austria/Hungary and Germany as winners, there would have been the same assimilation policy in the Italian speaking parts of Austria as well. Lucky for me this didn’t happen. Shall i feel better now, because history made me to a victim and not to a perpetrator? I didn’t do anything to deserve this … do you get my point?
My Kurdish friend in Austria. Are you Sunni or Alevi by lineage? Dont be saddened by making assumptions. What you see as attacks against turks is really not. You are too sensitive. Barabarian turkic nationalists will never change there is no way to win them over. I dont want them to change their minds. I, as a pan turanist, want them to go back to central asia, primarily Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan where they dont have to bother the real indigenious peoples of southwest Asia anymore. They will be better off in their original homeland. They will be more prosperous there. The greatness of the turkish people will truely blossom in central asia. I get goose bumps just thinking about all the turkic peoples of sothwest asia moving back. What a glorious day that will be in turkish history! The kurds in previous turkey would move to the emptied Azerbaijan of Iran. You dont know much about the Tyrolean independence movement by the way. The ‘Europe of One Hundred Flags’ movement will help get this population shift underway. As Anatolia is part of Greater Europa, the only ones living there will be Greeks, Armenians, Christian Laz, Yezidis, Aramaeans and Alevi Anatolians (Alevis speaking either Greek, Armenian or Dimili) What comes around goes around, but this time there will be peace for all. Afterall, We all desire peace, a lasting peace. One can only have lasting peace when there is true and complete justice. As for the rest of your “ideas” my friend, you have to reevaluate your thinking by way of study. I could help you with the facts but if you dont know your own Tyrolean history and that there is a independence movement, what good is it for you to learn about the historical truths of southwest asia?
P.S. as for Circassians/Chechens you mention, they are the most vicious people in all of southwest asia. They committed the worst crimes against Christians during WWI lets not forget what they did in the Moscow theater and at the school in Beslan recently. And please dont say its a minority doing bad things. I have answers for that response also.
Edik, just curious, could you explain your comment to me and Gayane. I am not sure if you are being sarcastic or not. Should I assume you dont want Armenians to do what they can to liberate Armenian lands from the barbarians?
It seems to me you have a bit of sarcasm in your voice.. just because each of us is trying with everything we can to contribute in our ways, you are putting us down like what we are trying to accomplish is ridiculous.. if I misunderstood you, then please forgive me..
However, as many of us said.. it is EVERY ARMENIAN’s desire and choice to go through whatever they want to go through to make our dream come true.. and that is to have an ARmenia for all ARmenians… if one is studying law, or another is educating NON-Armenians, or another trying to contribute with money, and/or time, then you have to respect that…
You speak very wisely…and I definintely understand your point of view better than those here who try to fog up the truth…
Thank God for people such as yourself and few others I was fortunate enough to meet here who will fight for justice, truth and peace..
Thank you for the kind words. It’s important to discuss and come to an understanding of what the problems are, who are causing the problems, solving the problems in ways that are outside the (Armenian) box and getting around those who are causing the problems.