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Tehcir Law
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Tehcir Law was a law of the Ottoman Empire setting the rules and conditions of the tehcir (forced relocations)[1][2]. The law was passed by the parliament on May 27, 1915 and came into force on June 1, 1915, with publication in Takvim-i Vekayi, the official gazette of the Ottoman State. The temporary law expired on February 8, 1916. Tehcir law was an important law which defined the regulation for the settlement of Armenians relocated to other places because of war conditions and emergency political requirements, as it is under the scrutiny of the Armenian Genocide.
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Before the Ottoman parliament implemented the Tehcir Law, there was a circular by Talat Pasha[3].
Tehcir Law was a temporary law, that was expired on February 8, 1916. It was a civil law, planned, implemented and enforced with an office (created by the law) to coordinate the activities under the name of “Migrant General Directorate” (Turkish: Göçmen Genel Müdürlüğü). The civil law gave the military an enforcing power only if there was an opposing parties to the implementation. The rules and regulations of the law, as published in the Takvim-i Vekayi (Ottoman official newspaper), were public and they were shared with all the parties (including USA).
| Armenian Genocide |
|---|
| Background |
| Armenians in the Ottoman Empire · Armenian Question · Hamidian Massacres · Zeitun Resistance (1895) · 1896 Ottoman Bank Takeover · Yıldız Attempt · Adana Massacre · Young Turk Revolution |
| The Genocide |
|
Armenian notables deported from the Ottoman capital · Tehcir Law · Armenian casualties of deportations · Ottoman Armenian casualties · Labour battalion |
|
Major extermination centers: |
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Resistance: |
|
Foreign aid and relief: |
| Responsible parties |
|
Young Turks: |
| Aftermath |
| Courts-Martial · Operation Nemesis · Partitioning of the Ottoman Empire · Denial of the Genocide
|
Tehcir Law in fact was a four part law. (1), the military measures against those opposing government orders, country’s defense, and the protection of peace; and against those organizing armed attacks and resistance, and kill rebels during aggression and uprising in wartime, (2), was to transfer and resettle on a single basis or in mass, the people living in villages and towns who are found to be engaged in espionage or treason. (3), temporary law’s effect and expiration. (4), defines the responsible parties (application).
The law was a copy of a general law (a template) that has been used before to the Ottoman citizens of Muslim, Greek and Armenian origin who were subjected to immigrate from their own place and resettle elsewhere. Even though in some sources this law was being directed against one particular ethnic group (Armenian) this is a lack of information, as the text of the law does not name community ("Ottoman Millet" was the base of the law makers world view, not the current national form of Armenians, see: Millet (Ottoman Empire)) was mentioned nor even suggested. [4]. However, by the numbers of dislocated citizens by the abolishment of the law, the Armenian millet was undeniably effected section.
From the text of the law or the following orders, the law maker’s intention did not specifically target any group. Also (1) ill (2)the blind (2) the Catholic (2) Protestant (3) the soldiers and their families, (4) the officers, (5) merchants, some workers and masters were not subject to migration [5]. If the conditions get worse this group is ordered to be settled in the city centers [6].
Capitulations of the Ottoman Empire granted missionaries a protectorate state (see:Protectorate of missions). There is a group of rules that grand rights to missionaries under the Ottoman Empire. There is also another decipher which orders the Catholic Armenian Missionaries do not have the leave the Ottoman Empire until the next order.[7] This decipher was not respected in some centers, such as Marash and Konya [8].
The intention of the law is a temporary movement of the citizens, and not permanent displacement as the fourth section of the law specifically designed to hold responsible the enforcer units to follow up and record the properties owned by the subjects of the immigration and consequently on 10 June 1915 [9], there was another law which was passed to regulate the enforcement of this section. In this section it was demanded that there would be three copies of this information one which will be kept in the regional churches, and one in the regional administration, and one will be kept by the commission responsible of the execution of the law. The second and third party of this law was hold responsible for the protection of the properties until the immigrants return [10].
The depths of the immigrants completely canceled, and recurring tax debts (they own land) of the Armenians were postponed until they returned back [11].
A fund was initiated with the law. The control of the fund was assigned to director Sükrü Bey, a directorate under the immigrants general office (Immigrant and Tribe Settling) From the documents:
| Budget for the Tachir June 1-1915 to February 8-1916 |
|
| İzmit province | 150.000 kurus |
| Eskişehir | 200.000 kurus |
| Ankara province, | 300.000 kurus |
| Konya province | 400.000 kurus |
| Adana province, | 300.000 kurus |
| Halep province | 300.000 kurus |
| Mousul province | 500.000 kurus |
| Syria province | 100.000 kurus |
| Total | 2.250.000 kurus |
Also, the Ottoman government under the international agreements assigned within the capitulations enabled fund transfers using the missioners and consuls. Armenian immigrants from the United States have send funds, which were distributed to the Armenians under the knowledge of the government by these institutions [12]. The American Near East Relief Committee, a relief organization for refugees in the Middle East helped donate over $102 million to Armenians both during and after the war.[13]
It has to be noted that, the funds within the provinces aided the immigrants which money allocations were sent under province budgets depending on the condition of needs.
The law was a selective law as explained under "The subject of the law". The list covers the citizens of the Ottoman Empire that was effected by the law.
| The citizens effected under the law [14][15] | ||
| Province | Transferred | not transferred |
| Adana | 14.000 | 15-16.000 |
| Ankara (Central) | 21.236 | 733 |
| Aydın | 250 | |
| Birecik | 1.200 | |
| Diyarbakır | 20.000 | |
| Dörtyol | 9.000 | |
| Erzurum | 5.500 | |
| Eskişehir | 7.000 | |
| Giresun | 328 | |
| Görele | 250 | |
| Aleppo | 26.064 | |
| Haymana | 60 | |
| İzmir | 256 | |
| İzmit | 58.000 | |
| Kaliacik | 257 | |
| Karahisari sahib | 5.769 | 2222 |
| Kayseri | 45.036 | 4.911 |
| Keskin | 1.169 | |
| Kırşehir | 747 | |
| Konya | 1.900 | |
| Kütahya | 1.400 | |
| Mamuretülaziz | 51.000 | 4.000 |
| Maraş | 8.845 | |
| Nallihan | 479 | |
| Ordu | 36 | |
| Persembe | 390 | |
| Sivas | 136.084 | 6.055 |
| Sungurlu | 576 | |
| Sürmene | 290 | |
| Tirebolu | 45 | |
| Trabzon | 3.400 | |
| Ulubey | 30 | |
| Yozgat | 10.916 | |
| TOTAL | 422.758 | 32.766 |
The law was abolished on February 21, 1916,[16] with an order sent to all Ottoman provinces. However detainees of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation continued to be displaced to Der Zor province.[17] All the activities finalized on March 15, 1916.[18]
- ^ "Tehcir Kanunu", Takvîm-i Vekâyi, 18 Receb 1333/19 Mayıs 1331 (June 1, 1915), 7th year, nr. 2189. (in Ottoman Turkish).
- ^ Bayur, Yusuf Hikmet (1991). Türk İnkılâbı Tarihi, III-III (History of the Turkish Revolution, Vol. III Part 3), page 30 (in Turkish). Ankara: Türk Tarih Kurumu Basımevi. ISBN 975-16-0330-7.
- ^ Archive code BOA. DH. ŞFR, nr.52/96,97,98
- ^ Yildirim, Dr. Hüsamettin, Ermeni Iddialari ve Gercekler Armenian Claims and Realities- Ankara 2000, p. 21
- ^ Coding Office, no 56/27; no 67/186
- ^ Coding Office, no 56/27; no 67/186
- ^ BOA. DH. SFR, nr. 54/55 archive, which stats: Ermeni Katolik misyonerlerle sörlerin simdilik orada kalmalari daha münâsibdir
- ^ see for example BOA. DH. SFR, nr. 58/2 for Konya or BOA. DH. SFR, nr.63/157 for Marash,
- ^ ATBD, December 1982, ibid., no:81, document 1832
- ^ ATBD, December 1982, ibid., no:81, document 1832
- ^ Coding Office, no 54-A/268
- ^ Coding Office, no 60/178
- ^ Goldberg, Andrew. The Armenian Genocide. Two Cats Productions, 2006
- ^ Halacoglu, Prof. Dr. Yusuf, Facts Relating to the Armenian Relocation (1915), TTK Publication, Ankara, 2001.
- ^ DH, EUM. 2nd Branch, File 1, document 38, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 46, 47, 51, 55, 64, 152, 185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190, 191, 194, 200, 206
- ^ Coding Office, no 57/273; no 58/124; no 58/161; no 59/123; no 60/190
- ^ Coding Office, no 61/72
- ^ Coding Office, no 62/21