THE UNFOUNDED MASS BURIALS OF THE SO-CALLED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Özet

According to some sources, The Armenian Genocide Appeals (the so-calledArmenian Genocide or the Unfounded Armenian Claims) indicate that theArmenian deportation, which was carried out by the Ottoman State in EasternAnatolia for internal security reasons from May to November 1915, was aimedat destroying the Armenian community in the region, Millions of Armeniansare alleged to have been killed by this reason. In the early years of the FirstWorld War, the Ottoman State while fighting in many fronts with Allied Powers,the Armenians attacked the Ottoman army jointly with the Russian army inthe region up to Central Anatolia in the East, and rebelled in many cities. Inorder to overcome these rebellions, the Ottoman State held a joint meeting withthe Armenian Patriarchs, especially the Armenian Members of the TanzimatParliament, and the leaders of the Armenian community, and informed them thatthe Ottoman State would take countermeasures if the Armenians continued to killlocal Muslim people in Eastern Anatolia. On the basis of this notion, the OttomanState in April 24, 1915 arrested 235 people who had organized the rebellions andclosed down all the Armenian Committees and local organizations that supportedand organized the rebellions. The Ottoman State promulgatiated the TemporaryLaw of Deportation, in 27 May 1915. Accordingly, it was decided some of theArmenians in Eastern Anatolia would be displaced to Syria, Lebanon and Iraq.According to the Armenians’ claims, massacre and genocide were carried out under the deportation title and 1.5 million Armenians were killed. This articleis about the mass graves of 1.5 million Armenians which would form the basisof the massacre allegations, the size, how and by whom they were dug, how themassacred Armenians buried and how the mass graves covered with soil. Thepaper is written to investigate whether there are mass graves or not.