90 years passed since trial over Armenian Genocide organizers

PanARMENIAN.Net - This year marks the 90th anniversary of trial over leaders of Young Turks "Unity and Progress" party, who organized Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Empire. After the Armistice of Mudros (1918), new Turkish Government, under the leadership of Ahmet Izzet Pasha (Pasa) made decision to hold Young Turks' leaders accountable for committing max extermination of Armenians and involving Ottoman Empire in World War I. Ministers and leaders the party, district secretaries, military servants and authorized individuals were arrested, Yerevan Genocide Museum Institute says in a release,

On January 8, 1919, ad hoc military courts were established in Istanbul. Court session focused on crimes committed by Young Turks. Trial against them began on April 27, 1919 and lasted till June 26 with intervals. 31 senior officials and 1 party representative were found guilty. On May 28, the British command unexpectedly exiled the 77 accused to Malta.



Verdict was returned on July 5, 1919. Turkey's Interior Minister and Chair of party's central committee Talaat Pasha (Talaat Pasa), Defense minister Enver Pasha (Enver Pasa), minister of military and navy forces and Commander of 4th Turkish Army in Syria during World War I Jamal Pasha (Cemal Pasa), and general education minister Dr. Nazim Bay were sentenced to death in absentia. All the other 27 accused were sentenced to imprisonment. Still there were accused who were acquitted for the lack of evidence.



ARF-Dashnaktutyun representative Sahan Natali elaborated and realized Nemesis operation aimed at annihilating Turkish criminals, organizers and perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide.



On May 15, 1921, Soghomon Tehleryan (Tehlirian) shot dead the former Interior Minister Talaat in Berlin. In June 1921, Berlin Court discharged Tehleryan.



On December 6, Arshavir Shirakyan killed former Premier of Young Turks government Sayid Khalim Pasha.



On April 17, 1922 Arshavir Shirakyan and Aram Yerkanyan eliminated in Berlin the former governor of Trebizond Jemal Azmi and the creator of the criminal organization "Teshkilati Mahsusa" Behaetdin Shakir Pasha; one of the guards of Shakir was also killed. A few months later Kemal Pasha, Fourth Army commander, was shot dead in Tiflis.



On July 25, 1922 Petros Ter-Poghosyan and Artashes Gevorgyan carried out the sentence against the former minister of the military and naval forces of the Ottoman Empire Jamal. Zare Melik-Shahnazaryan and Stepan Tsaghikyan took part in organizing the attempt.



In 1922, Enver Pasha was killed in Turkestan by a Red Army commander Hakob Melkumov.