Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Speech of Ataturk - January 27 - 1920

At the session of the Istanbul military Mustafa Kemal stated the following about the Young Turks:

Those pashas committed unprecedented, unspeakable and incomprehensible crimes and for their personal interest they brought the country to its present state. They have committed all kinds of violence, they have organized deportations and massacres, they have burnt infants with petroleum, they have raped women and girls in front of their husbands and parents, they have stolen children from their parents, they have confiscated the real estate and property of Armenians, they have exiled Armenians to Mosul in deplorable conditions, they have drowned thousands of innocent people in the sea, they forced people to change their religion, they made starving old men walk for months and work, and they have forced young women to submit to dreadful brothels never encountered in the history of any other nation”.

Source: Britannica, Armenia Genocide Museum, USA Historical archives, and Turkish scholars

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this interesting quote, Hans.

Here’s an article on the Armenian genocide from today’s Independent newspaper by the renowned British journalist and expert on the Middle East, Robert Fisk.

http://news.independent.co.uk/fisk/article2901136.ece

malaysia baru said...

But then he and his Young Turks repeated it... Power intoxicates if one is not careful

For more than 80 years,people were isolated from the government that they chose.

Mr Gul hopefully will lead Turkey as a democratic republic where there is FREEDOM...

Anonymous said...

I am sorry Malaysia Baru; Ataturk and the Young Turks didn't repeated! He is explaining very well in his speech; what 'Those pashas' did unspeakable and incomprehensible crimes during Ottoman Empire. The ruling Islamist-rooted AK Party and likewise followers did it 90 years back.

Pls read the speech carefully, I know your goverments roots is similar with the AK Party.

Anonymous said...

Archiles: How nice Mr. Robert Fisk explained everything so nicely! Oh by the what he wrote in his article:
'Hurgada in present-day Syria' isn't in Syria, it is in Egypt cost of Red sea. I guess as he is American not allow in Syria to search:)

he can check out below website for his search:

http://www.ermenisorunu.gen.tr/english/intro/index.html

Anonymous said...

No Alissa, my eyes are wide open.
Yours are closed, so your heart.
I don't have anything to say to you. Next statement by you will be removed. This post of yours will be stay here as a 'statue of ignorance' for you...

Anonymous said...

Mirdifderya, Fisk is English, not American. That's not too hard to research on the internet. Besides, linking to sites that spread disinformation isn't really a wise thing to do either.

Unknown said...

http://www.turkishweekly.net/interview.php?id=241

First part is terrible, second part is an interview. interesting!

Anonymous said...

M. van der Galien:

Your attention to detail (as in the last sentence in your second paragraph) is appreciated.

Anonymous said...

Michael, good article of you in TDN, yesterday! Call you soon.

Nihat: its all about one word...

Anonymous said...

With all due respect, Hans, what does "its all about one word" mean? It in fact isn't one word, but plenty of words. Starts as: premeditated mass murder with intent to eradicate...

Anonymous said...

Myrte: Yes I know how to check people's profile by the way! Didn’t have time, doesn’t matter American or English, same ignorance. You find out more how his article came out false today's newspapers, but I guess you can't speak Turkish. Don’t have time find one for you In English.

As writer, he should do more searches before he published his articles.

Yes I can attached informative websites, Bit like archilies’s linking Fisk’s page? Pls don’t give me suggestions!

Mr. Fisk presented in is article ‘The letter has been sent by Talat Pasha on 15th September 1915 to Halep Governor’ is not even real. Even Dutch Prof. Doc. Erich Zürcher (Turkey: A Modern History) and English Writer Andrew Mango (Turks and Kurds) and as well as English Foreign Ministry have even accepted the Talat Pasha’s letter counterfeit.FYI

Anonymous said...

Erich Zurcher a Dutch? No, no, Derya..))
Dr. Ton Zwaan of the Center of Holocaust and Genocide Studies and
Ugur Üngör are the experts in this. Both are from the University of Amsterdam an the CFHG...
It's not about one letter, it's about what happened, dear Derya.
I leave it to historians.

Anonymous said...

According to Hurriyet what I wrote Hans: Söz konusu beş telgrafın sahte olduğunun kanıtlandığına dair bilgiler, 'Hollandalı tarihçi Prof. Erich Zürcher (Turkey: A Modern History') ile İngiliz yazar Andrew Mango (Turks and Kurds) tarafından da dile getirilmişti. İngiliz Dışişleri Bakanlığı da bu belgeleri ciddiye almamıştı.

Don't know who to believe anymore, read so many articles, blogs (both sides), books, everybody says something. I guess you are right, should leave to Historians:) I am not going to comment anymore on this subject!

Unknown said...

Hurriyet is trash, you must know that by know.
Checked Prof. Erich Zurcher on German, Swiss, Austrian and Dutch Google: niente..((
Yes, a difficult subject to write about on Internet....

Anonymous said...

Hans, Zurcher (or Zuercher) is Dutch, he's a professor of Turkology at Leiden University. I read Turkey: A Modern History about two years ago. Will get you the link to the univeristy page. His book is an internationally acclaimed history on Turkey. His stance on the Armenian genocide is that it was actually a genocide.

Mirdifderya, it's so easy to dismiss all Americans, Brits (and I assume you mean all non-Turkish people) as ignorant when it comes to the Armenian genocide. Only Turkish people are not ignorant in this respect? Give me a break! There are plenty of non-Armenian and non-Turkish people who have done tons of research about this subject and who are definitely not ignorant. Whether Fisk is one of those non-ignorant people, is up to each of us to decide, but to just push all non-Turkish people aside as ingorant is way too easy. What about Armenian people? Are they also to be shoved aside as ignorant?

Anonymous said...

Myrthe,
I am sure that Derya doesn't want to say that everybody is ignorant except Turks...
Its very difficult to discuss Turkish Armenian relaations on internet.
i posted this speech since it says a lot what Ataturks said and his 'followers' think..((
I will check the Dutch guy, tnx anyway
regards

Anonymous said...

I agree Hans,very sensative subject!

Myrthe; you are taking the subject way different areas, I am not discussing the subject with you anymore, that you have been there living with them, it's not in your hand to be infavor.

I am not trying to defence the Ottoman Turks to you!

Anonymous said...

I made a mistake:
What Ataturk said, is later never said again: there is a discrepancy in what he said and the hard liner followers of him.

Anonymous said...

Derya, I am not taking the subject in different directions. I am reacting to what you write and what you write only. You may not like my reaction, but that's your business.

An for the record: my opinion about the Armenian genocide has not changes one syllable or millimeter since I moved to Armenia. If I wouldn't have lived there, I would still have said the exact same things. Darya, I humbly apologize to you for living in Armenia and I am so sorry that that doesn't work in my favor...

"doesn’t matter American or English, same ignorance" taken from one of Derya's previous comments sounds to me very much like she is dismissing experts or sources or opinions from people with a non-related ethnic background. I'm sorry, Hans, but that's how it sounds to me. If she means it in a different way, I'd be more than happy to read her explanation. This is just how it comes across to me.

Michael van der Galiën said...

Look forward to it Hans, and thank you very much.

Anonymous said...

"doesn’t matter American or English, same ignorance" taken....

Dear Myrthe, Derya is married with an Englishman...))
I am 100% sure that her intentions towards you and Armenians are genuine, honest and with respect
But Internet is a terrible place to discuss things and take Turkish mediterean temper and stubborness in account, you get these kind of reactions..))
Btw, I expect a lot of Gul as president, making openings toward Armenia.
Follow Mustafa Aykol of TDN his columns, he speaks words of Wisdom.
Kindest

Sean Jeating said...

As for this discussion, Hans: I do appreciate your patience.

As for the post: This speech should also be found in the archives of the Turkish State, shouldn't it?
Are these archives open for public research?
THIS would be interesting.

Anonymous said...

I guess Derya and I are consciously or subconsciously assuming lots of things about each other that may or may not be true in reality. That's one of the problems of the internet I suppose.

I admit I am not afraid to throw out my opinion, I may not always be the most tactful person around and I do have a temperament. Mix this and the result is not always great! ;-)

Anyway, I do hope that with Gul there will be some improvement in the relations between Armenian and Turkey (I am not saying that this should only come from the Turkish side) as I think better relations will benefit both countries. Gul and Armenian FM Vartan Oskanian have often met to discuss the subject, even though this doesn't get much or any attention in the media (which is good, I think, at this stage).

I am having trouble commenting, so this comment may appear more than once, as I must have hit the publish-button about ten times. If so, I apologize and Hans, feel free to delete any of these multiple comments if necessary.

Anonymous said...

In my opinion great comments Myrthe; your comments are knowledgeable and good intentions.:)

Jean Jeating: Yes it should be open for public, as far as I remember Turkish government open their archives to Armenian government as well to search.

Dating said...

Interesting post! good work