Imagine yourself in the middle of a desert, marching to your own death. You are hungry and see that people like you are marching, tired, while people from another ethnicity have guns and are beating a person from the line, and he has to endure it—all while marching to their own death.

This is exactly what happened to the Armenian people in 1915–1917. The story of a genocide no one dares to talk about, where more than a million people lost their lives, as only 30 countries recognize this as a genocide. Let’s decode it today.

HISTORY

In 500 AD, many tribes from Central Asia came together to live easily, united. For the next hundreds of years, many empires from different countries ruled them, but because they were also from the same religion (Christianity), they fitted in and had a uniting area.

But things would be more sinister soon.

ENTRY OF OTTOMANS

In the 11th century, Muslim Turkish-speaking tribes started to capture areas, and by the 14th century, the Ottoman Empire emerged and captured Armenia.

But no Armenian knew that this would nearly end their whole ethnicity.

HAMIDIAN MASSACRE 

Under Ottoman rule, a special tax known as Jaziya was imposed on non-Muslims. Armenian houses were raided by Kurdish tribes.

Despite all of this, Armenians captured all the high positions, like bankers, businessmen, etc., creating resentment among the Muslim population of the Ottomans, where other people described Armenians as parasites and leeches who were stealing wealth from the rest of the population—and this anger would soon be seen in the streets.

So in 1878, Armenian activists negotiated a treaty during the Russo-Turkish War with Sultan Abdul Hamid (leader of Ottoman Empire at that time). But the Sultan never agreed to this treaty, and when Armenians felt betrayed and protested, that’s when the Hamidian Massacre took place.

He ordered the killing of all Armenians across the Ottoman Empire. Armenian businesses were looted, churches were engulfed in flames, and Armenians were killed. Over 150,000 people died between 1894 and 1897.

But this was not the end.

THE TECHIR LAW AND THE ADANA MASSACRE 

In 1915, due to World War I, Muslims from the Balkan region of Europe fled to parts of the Ottoman Empire where Armenians lived. This sparked tensions again.

At the same time, a democratic party overthrew the monarchy. Because Turkey was in World War I and was fighting against Russia, an army unit was marching to Russia, but because of weak management and cold weather, the army unit died.

The Armenian people were blamed for this treachery.

What was their fault? 

Well, they were Armenians and not to be trusted.

In May 1915, the Techir Law was passed, where all the businesses and lands of Armenians were to be distributed to the Muslim Ottoman population.

And a blood game began.

All ammunition, land, and businesses were seized. Able-bodied men were killed daily and dumped in rivers so that the chances of protest could be reduced.

All women and children were to be marched to concentration camps in the Syrian desert, where life was difficult, as there was not sufficient space for the Armenian population. Children were burned alive in many cases to make space.

These marches were known as death marches because ration supplies were very low. Some mothers died because they gave their rations to their children. Sexual violence against females and sexual slavery were daily occurrences. Turkish government officials were given these Armenian sex slaves for their “good work.”

The remaining alive children, who were traumatized, were converted to the majority religion of Turkey. They were taught the Turkish language and culture and then integrated into the Turkish population. 

Over 1 million people either died or ran and escaped the Ottoman Empire.

LEGACY

To take revenge for this, Operation Nemesis was launched by the Armenian people after the end of World War 1. The Armenian people assassinated many top Turkish officials who were responsible for this, from different parts of the world. 

Till this day, the Turkish government denies that something like this happened and gives the reason that these things happened due to World War I. But historians argue that the concentration camp's area was very small as compared to the Armenian population, and the Ottomans knew that people would die in these death marches.

Armenian people living in different countries protested and demanded a separate country.

And in 1991, a separate country for Armenians, "Armenia" was formed.

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