Ankara reveals classified Dersim archives

PanARMENIAN.Net - Official Ankara has published classified archives on Dersim massacre, Turkish media reported.

The first document published contains a secret correspondence between the leader of Dersim’s Kurdish rebellion Seyit Riza and Turkish authorities. In a May 7, 1937 letter to the ministry of interior, Riza vows adherence to the government, noting he’s ready for an exile to Aleppo or Turkmenistan should his devotion be questioned.

The letter reveals the fact that Riza was secretly corresponding with Turkish authorities to bargain for an exile instead of imminent capture. Riza was captured on September 5, 1937 and hanged.

The publication came as a logical continuation to the apology issued by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a massacre of 1937 13,806 Kurds in the southeastern town of Dersim in 1937. The Prime Minister stated: “Dersim is among the most tragic events in our recent history. It is a disaster that should now be questioned with courage.”

It was the first time the Turkish state has offered a public apology to redress the events of its past.

According to different sources, thousands of 1915 Genocide survivors were slaughtered in Dersim.