NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Tehcir Law

The Tehcir Law was a law of the Ottoman Empire setting the rules and conditions of the tehcir (forced relocations)^[1]^[2]. The law was passed by the parliament on May 27, 1915 and came into force on June 1, 1915, with publication in Takvim-i Vekayi, the official gazette of the Ottoman State. The temporary law expired on February 8, 1916. Tehcir law was an important law which defined the regulation for the settlement of Armenians relocated to other places because of war conditions and emergency political requirements, as it is under the scrutiny of the Armenian Genocide. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Motto: Ø¯ÙˆÙ„Øª Ø§Ø¨Ø¯ Ù…Ø¯Øª Devlet-i Ebed-mÃ¼ddet (The Eternal State) Anthem: Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1680, see: list of territories Capital SÃ¶ÄŸÃ¼t (1299-1326) Bursa (1326-1365) Edirne (1365-1453) Constantinople (Istanbul) (1453-1922) Language(s) Ottoman Turkish Government Monarchy Sultans - 1281â€“1326 Osman I - 1918â€“1922 Mehmed VI... Tehcir (Turkish: ) is an Ottoman concept which resembles the current notions of population transfer. From dictionary definition, Tehcir means, relocating a population or a sub population from one region to another within a country or a territory that the enforcing agent has the control. ... Population transfer is a term referring to a policy by which a state, or international authority, forces the movement of a large group of people out of a region, most frequently on the basis of their ethnicity or religion. ... May 27 is the 147th day (148th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 218 days remaining. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ... June 1 is the 152nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (153rd in leap years), with 213 days remaining. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ... February 8 is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... Armenian Genocide photo. ...

The background of the law

Before the Ottoman parliament implemented the Tehcir Law, there was a circular by Talat Pasha^[3]. Mehmed Talat Pasha was one of leaders of the Young Turks , Ottoman statesman, grand vizier (1917) , and leading member of the Ottoman government from 1913 to 1918. ...

The nature of the law

Tehcir Law was a temporary law, that was expired on February 8, 1916. It was a civil law, planned, implemented and enforced with an office (created by the law) to coordinate the activities under the name of “Migrant General Directorate” (Turkish: Göçmen Genel Müdürlüğü). The civil law gave the military an enforcing power only if there was an opposing parties to the implementation. The rules and regulations of the law, as published in the Takvim-i Vekayi (Ottoman official newspaper), were public and they were shared with all the parties (including USA). February 8 is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... Civil law has at least three meanings. ...

Turkish Courts-Martial of 1919-1920 were court martials of the Ottoman Empire after the armistice of Mudros during the aftermath the World War One, which the leadership of the Committee of Union and Progress and selected former officials had court-martial with/including the charges of subversion of the... Operation Nemesis is the Armenian Revolutionary Federation code-name for the covert operation in the 1920s to assassinate the Turkish masterminds of the Armenian Genocide. ... Partitioning of the Ottoman Empire is direct consequence of the World War I with the Ottomans involvement in the Middle Eastern theatre. ... Turkish Denial: To have genocide denied is to die twice â€” An advertisement for the Armenian Genocide Commemoration Holiday on 24th April, 2006 posted in The Times newspaper. ...

The question of the law

Tehcir Law in fact was a four part law. (1), the military measures against those opposing government orders, country’s defense, and the protection of peace; and against those organizing armed attacks and resistance, and kill rebels during aggression and uprising in wartime, (2), was to transfer and resettle on a single basis or in mass, the people living in villages and towns who are found to be engaged in espionage or treason. (3), temporary law’s effect and expiration. (4), defines the responsible parties (application).

The subject of the law

The law was a copy of a general law (a template) that has been used before to the Ottoman citizens of Muslim, Greek and Armenian origin who were subjected to immigrate from their own place and resettle elsewhere. Even though in some sources this law was being directed against one particular ethnic group (Armenian) this is a lack of information, as the text of the law does not name community ("Ottoman Millet" was the base of the law makers world view, not the current national form of Armenians, see: Millet (Ottoman Empire)) was mentioned nor even suggested. ^[4]. However, by the numbers of dislocated citizens by the abolishment of the law, the Armenian millet was undeniably effected section. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

From the text of the law or the following orders, the law maker’s intention did not specifically target any group. Also (1) ill (2)the blind (2) the Catholic (2) Protestant (3) the soldiers and their families, (4) the officers, (5) merchants, some workers and masters were not subject to migration ^[5]. If the conditions get worse this group is ordered to be settled in the city centers ^[6].

Capitulations of the Ottoman Empire granted missionaries a protectorate state (see:Protectorate of missions). There is a group of rules that grand rights to missionaries under the Ottoman Empire. There is also another decipher which orders the Catholic Armenian Missionaries do not have the leave the Ottoman Empire until the next order.^[7] This decipher was not respected in some centers, such as Marash and Konya ^[8]. Capitulations of the Ottoman Empire are contracts between Ottoman Empire and European powers. ... A missionary is traditionally defined as a propagator of religion who works to convert those outside that community; someone who proselytizes. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... KahramanmaraÅŸ is the capital city of KahramanmaraÅŸ Province in southeastern Turkey. ... Tomb of Mevlana Rumi is a popular attraction of Konya. ...

Rights of subject of the law

The intention of the law is a temporary movement of the citizens, and not permanent displacement as the fourth section of the law specifically designed to hold responsible the enforcer units to follow up and record the properties owned by the subjects of the immigration and consequently on 10 June 1915 ^[9], there was another law which was passed to regulate the enforcement of this section. In this section it was demanded that there would be three copies of this information one which will be kept in the regional churches, and one in the regional administration, and one will be kept by the commission responsible of the execution of the law. The second and third party of this law was hold responsible for the protection of the properties until the immigrants return ^[10].

The depths of the immigrants completely canceled, and recurring tax debts (they own land) of the Armenians were postponed until they returned back ^[11].

The financial burden of the law

A fund was initiated with the law. The control of the fund was assigned to director Sükrü Bey, a directorate under the immigrants general office (Immigrant and Tribe Settling) From the documents:

Also, the Ottoman government under the international agreements assigned within the capitulations enabled fund transfers using the missioners and consuls. Armenian immigrants from the United States have send funds, which were distributed to the Armenians under the knowledge of the government by these institutions ^[12]. The American Near East Relief Committee, a relief organization for refugees in the Middle East helped donate over $102 million to Armenians both during and after the war.^[13] June 1 is the 152nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (153rd in leap years), with 213 days remaining. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ... February 8 is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... American Committee for Armenian and Syrian Relief after 1918 American Committee for Relief in the Near East (ACRNE) in short Near East Relief was a relief organization (charity) established during the World War One which was specifically promoted by Henry Morgenthau, Sr. ...

It has to be noted that, the funds within the provinces aided the immigrants which money allocations were sent under province budgets depending on the condition of needs.

The application of the law

The law was a selective law as explained under "The subject of the law". The list covers the citizens of the Ottoman Empire that was effected by the law.

Abolishment of the law

The law was abolished on February 21, 1916,^[16] with an order sent to all Ottoman provinces. However detainees of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation continued to be displaced to Der Zor province.^[17] All the activities finalized on March 15, 1916.^[18] February 21 is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) (Armenian: Hay Heghapokhakan Dashnaktsutiun Dashnaktsutiun, Dashnak, or Tashnak) is an Armenian political party founded in Georgia in 1890 by Christapor Mikaelian, Stepan Zorian, and Simon Zavarian. ... Suspension bridge of Deir ez Zor over the Euphrates River Dayr az-Zawr governorate Dayr az-Zawr, also spelled Deir ez Zor , Deir al-Zur and other variants (Arabic:Ø¯ÙŠØ± Ø§Ù„Ø²ÙˆØ±, Armenian: Ô´Õ§Ö€ Ô¶Ö…Ö€ or Ter Zor), is a city in north-eastern Syria on the Euphrates River and capital of Dayr az-Zawr... March 15 is the 74th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (75th in leap years). ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ...

References

^ "Tehcir Kanunu", Takvîm-i Vekâyi, 18 Receb 1333/19 Mayıs 1331 (June 1, 1915), 7th year, nr. 2189. (in Ottoman Turkish).
^ Bayur, Yusuf Hikmet (1991). Türk İnkılâbı Tarihi, III-III (History of the Turkish Revolution, Vol. III Part 3), page 30 (in Turkish). Ankara: Türk Tarih Kurumu Basımevi. ISBN 975-16-0330-7.
^ Archive code BOA. DH. ŞFR, nr.52/96,97,98
^ Yildirim, Dr. Hüsamettin, Ermeni Iddialari ve Gercekler Armenian Claims and Realities- Ankara 2000, p. 21
^ Coding Office, no 56/27; no 67/186
^ Coding Office, no 56/27; no 67/186
^ BOA. DH. SFR, nr. 54/55 archive, which stats: Ermeni Katolik misyonerlerle sörlerin simdilik orada kalmalari daha münâsibdir
^ see for example BOA. DH. SFR, nr. 58/2 for Konya or BOA. DH. SFR, nr.63/157 for Marash,
^ ATBD, December 1982, ibid., no:81, document 1832
^ ATBD, December 1982, ibid., no:81, document 1832
^ Coding Office, no 54-A/268
^ Coding Office, no 60/178
^ Goldberg, Andrew. The Armenian Genocide. Two Cats Productions, 2006
^ Halacoglu, Prof. Dr. Yusuf, Facts Relating to the Armenian Relocation (1915), TTK Publication, Ankara, 2001.
^ DH, EUM. 2nd Branch, File 1, document 38, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 46, 47, 51, 55, 64, 152, 185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190, 191, 194, 200, 206
^ Coding Office, no 57/273; no 58/124; no 58/161; no 59/123; no 60/190
^ Coding Office, no 61/72
^ Coding Office, no 62/21

Categories: History of the Ottoman Empire | History of Armenia | Politics of the Ottoman Empire | World War I | Armenian Genocide June 1 is the 152nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (153rd in leap years), with 213 days remaining. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ... Ottoman Turkish is the variant of the Turkish language which was used as the administrative and literary language of the Ottoman Empire, containing extensive borrowings from Arabic and Persian and written in Arabic script. ...

Contents

The background of the law GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");