PROPERTY DEPRIVATION REASON FOR GENOCIDE
Anahit Astoyan, “Hayern Aysor”, 6 February 2015
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In 2013, senior scientific worker of the Mesrop Mashtots Institute of
Ancient Manuscripts (Matenadaran) Anahit Astoyan released her book
“Robbery of the Century: Deprivation of Properties of Armenians in
the Ottoman Empire in 1914-19”.
According to the author, the fact that the government planned the
appropriation of Armenians’ individual and collective properties is
stated in the reports of survivors and foreign diplomats having served
in the Ottoman Empire, as well as in the Turkish archives in which
it is confirmed that the deprivation of the properties of Armenians
was a major factor in the plan for annihilation of the Armenian nation.
For that purpose, on June 1, 1915, the Young Turks promulgated the
Law on Deportations by which 1.5 million Armenians were forcefully
deported and annihilated.
Later, the overt robbery and appropriation of all mobile and real
estate properties and all the wealth of Armenians were legitimized,
and this is what Anahit Astoyan has touched upon in her book.
“Hayern Aysor”: What made you publish this book?
Anahit Astoyan: Scholar Levon Vardan, author of the book “1915 and
the Derelict Properties of the Armenians”, was the first to conduct
research on this topic. The scholar also urged to continue research.
No matter how strange it may sound, over the past years, Turkish
historians have especially started touching upon this topic. Over
the past five to six years, Taner Akcam, Ungur Umit, Sait Cetioglu,
Nevzat Onara and Ayshe Hyuri have published books devoted to the topic.
The Turkish authors find that the issue of the return of Armenians’
properties lies at the core of Turkey’s denial. If the Turks recognize
the Armenian Genocide, they will be forced to come to grips with
the reality that they are obliged to repair the material losses that
the Armenians suffered. That’s why they prefer to deny the Armenian
Genocide.
I have conducted studies on the economic activity of Armenians in
the Ottoman Empire and have revealed many interesting facts.
Armenians were the “owners” of Turkey’s economy. This was a matter
of great concern for the Turks, especially the Young Turks who were
worried that the Armenians would soon take over the empire as well.
Armenians were the leaders in music, architecture and other spheres
across the Ottoman Empire, and 80 percent of schools in the Ottoman
Empire were Armenian schools.
Many historians, political scientists and foreign diplomats say
deprivation of the Armenians’ properties was one of the motives behind
the Armenian Genocide. U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Henry Morgenthau
clearly states that the main purpose of the deportations was robbery.
Turkish historians say the same.
Deprivation of properties was truly one of the major goals because the
government already had a lot of debts. Besides, the Young Turks had a
plan to Turkify the country, and they implemented their economic policy
by Turkifying the properties belonging to the Armenians and the Greeks.
“Hayern Aysor”: What research have you done to write this book?
A. A.: The orders of the Ministry of Interior Affairs of the
Ottoman government on seizing Armenians’ properties and related to
the committees on derelict properties of Kesaria are kept at the
Matenadaran.
After the deportations of the Armenians, the process of depriving
Armenians of their properties was legitimized. The orders on managing
the Armenians’ derelict properties, comprised of 34 articles, were
promulgated on June 10, 1915, and the Law on Derelict Properties was
promulgated in September 1915. The Ottoman Parliament legitimized
the appropriation and confiscation of Armenians’ properties, which
were already being appropriated and seized across the country.
Later, a statue was drawn up for enforcement of this law. Committees
were set up for the derelict properties on the basis of legal acts,
and those committees organized the confiscation of Armenians’
properties. These documents are kept at the Matenadaran.
The records of the committees on derelict properties are very important
documents and can give one the real picture of what Armenians lost.
There are many sources in the book.
After the ceasefire declared in Mudrus on October 30, 1918, the
newspapers of Constantinople were full of articles that were mainly
reprints from Turkish newspapers. The defeated Turks were starting
to confess.
During my interviews, I always say that just the newspapers of
Constantinople were enough to write a book.
The foreign diplomatic documents and the opinions of foreign
diplomats also serve as sources. Materials related to the deprivation
of Armenians’ properties can be found in any book devoted to the
Armenian Genocide.
The recent works by Turkish historians also helped me a lot.
“Hayern Aysor”: If the deprivation of the Armenians’ properties was
legitimate, does this mean that we can’t demand the return of those
properties?
A. A.: The laws on derelict properties, which were annulled under
pressure from countries of the Entente in 1920, were restored by the
Kemals and were in effect until 1988.
The points in the Lausanne Covenant concerning Armenians properties
can serve as a legal document for us. Republican Turkey expressed
commitment to return the Armenians’ properties, but in September 1923,
Kemal Turkey passed laws with the purpose of ruling out the application
of the Articles in the Lausanne Covenant and the intervention of the
League of Nations on the basis of those Articles in 1923 and 1927. With
those laws, the Turks deprived the Armenians of their right to return
to the homeland. A seal prohibiting return to Turkey was placed in the
passports of the deportees or those who had voluntarily migrated. Thus,
Turkey claimed the properties that the Armenians had left behind.
The massacres and the confiscation of Armenians’ properties continued
more brutally during the years of the Kemal movement. The driving
force for the Kemal movement was the Armenians’ properties. Kemal would
tell everyone that people had to help him, adding that If they didn’t,
then the Armenians would return and stand up for their properties.
Notable Muslim Turks and Kurds would provide funding for the Kemal
movement, the victory of which led to the establishment of the Republic
of Turkey in 1923.
“Hayern Aysor”: Can we estimate our material losses?
A. A.: The human brain is incapable of that. In one of the chapters
of my book, I have noted an approximate estimate with facts converted
into figures.
There are also different committees that have done calculations.
Besides the demands that the Unified National Delegation presented to
the Paris Conference in 1919, which were drawn up by foreign experts,
it is impossible to make correct calculations.
Let me bring up an example. After this book was published, a woman
came to the Matenadaran. Her grandfather was from Van. She had brought
the booklet from the branch of the Ottoman Bank in Van for which she
had deposited 7,000 pieces of molten gold. If an average person could
deposit that much gold in the bank, what about the others? How much
money could rich and famous people have in banks?
There is a tremendous amount of material losses that are the wealth
that was accumulated through centuries and millennia of hard work.
In the orders on derelict properties there was a specific point that
concerned the theft of Armenian Church properties and cultural assets,
which is immeasurable.
Based on Turkey’s data, prior to 1914, the Armenians in Turkey had
2,538 churches, 451 monasteries and 2,000 schools. The wealth kept in
these institutions was also appropriated, robbed and destroyed. This
is a severe loss not only for Armenian culture, but world culture
as well. I have estimated the losses. Based on the data, there were
30,000 pix and 600,000 objects for rituals.
The Turks are getting rich off us to this day. The majority of
Armenians were certain that the displacement was temporary. They all
kept their riches somewhere “safe”. For 100 years, the Turks have had a
“gold fever” as they destroy even the foundations of Armenian churches,
homes and cemeteries. They have been conducting searches with special
devices to this day.
The Turks didn’t just Turkify the economy at the expense of Armenians’
properties. Armenian properties make up 32-35% of Turkey’s national
capital, according to Turkish historians. The Turks paid a large
portion of foreign debts and filled the government’s empty treasury.
There are facts stating how the government’s budget was increasing
during the years of war when it should have been the opposite.
They organized the Kemal movement, the victory of which led to
the establishment of modern-day Turkey. The Republic of Turkey was
established on the basis of the Armenian Genocide, as well as material,
military and political gains.
The Armenians have mourned so much for the loss of fellow Armenians
that they haven’t attached importance to material losses, which goes
to show once again the morality of the Armenian nation.
“Hayern Aysor”: Did other countries help deprive the Armenians of
their properties?
A. A.: It’s very strange. Before 1914, the newspapers of Constantinople
and Zmurnia were filled with advertisements of foreign insurance
companies. Starting from the mid-19th century, the country saw
an increase in the number of foreign insurance companies that had
Armenian customers. The 63 foreign insurance companies based in Turkey
had Armenian customers, and they received the sums for insurance in
gold. The insurance companies had branches in all major cities. They
also appropriated our properties. New York Life Insurance was the
only company that returned small amounts of money.
There were also banks in Turkey. As I mentioned, the major part
of Turkey’s economy was in the hands of Armenians, and Armenian
merchants and manufacturers were working with banks. The banks also
appropriated the Armenians’ sums. There are facts stating how German
banks appropriated the derelict properties of Armenians as well.
“Hayern Aysor”: Which facts had a greater impact on you while you
were writing the book?
A. A.: I have come across very hard facts, and it’s always hard for
me to remember them. It’s the most horrible ransom. Those riding the
caravans of Armenians would pay a ransom to cross a street, bridge or
travel from one village to the next and would constantly distribute
gold. A gendarmerie commander once confessed that he had received 40
boxes (containing 20 liters) of gold from an Armenian caravan.
People would give ransoms to become Islamized. Famous wealthy
Ibranosyan gave a building equivalent to 15,000 Turkish lira to
convert to Islam, and we still have to find out how many Islamized
Armenians there are.
It is known that 63,000 children, 250,000 Armenian women and ladies
remained in Turkey and, according to Morgenthau, most of them were
in the harems. Only 10,000 of them could be brought back through the
efforts of employees of the American Relief.
People were spending huge amounts of money to be executed, just for
that one bullet.
You are aware that there was a special organization for criminals
during the Armenian Genocide. The Young Turks would collaborate with
special organizations of criminals from prisons under the condition
that the Young Turks would be relieved of criminal persecution,
if they shared the loot of the Armenians.
Based on data from the U.S., there were 300,000 and I have estimated
that each of them received 15,000 pieces of gold. If we multiply
that number, then just the special organization received 70 billion
Turkish gold…
The facts say it all. The only thing left for me to do is to hope
many will touch upon this topic. Although I have tried to give the
whole picture of the deprivation of the Armenians’ properties, but
this is just a small part.
The English version of the book will soon be released at the initiative
of the Matenadaran and by state order.
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I also hope the book will serve as a contribution to the solution to
the Armenian Cause….
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