597) Armenian insurgents attacked villages in eastern provinces & caused mass murder before emigration decision taken in 1915

Director of Armenian Studies at the Institute of Turkish History Professor Hikmet Ozdemir said Armenian insurgents attacked Turkish villages in eastern provinces and caused the mass murder across the region before the emigration decision taken in 1915..

"Thirty thousand Turkish civilians were killed in Kars. Armenian militants also rebelled in southern Anatolian city of Kahramanmaras, and the killings did not cease immediately after the emigration decision was taken," Ozdemir said.

Speaking at a conference titled "Points overlooked in the 1915 debates" at Kocaeli University, Ozdemir said he wants Turks to accept the allegations that Armenians caused massacres and added he definitely does not want to debate the issue further.

Ozdemir said a false memory has been developed because of the Armenian allegations and this has been turned into a religious issue, adding, "Unfortunately, some of our intellectuals and scientists also believe these allegations."

The History Institute has original documents relating to the Armenian massacres of the period and it has revealed these documents, he added.

"The Ottoman State imposed emigration not only on Armenians, but also on insurgents, Arabs, and Greeks. The period was a time of crisis. British forces were attacking from one side and Russian forces were attacking from the other. Before the emigration decision was taken, Armenian insurgents were rebelling as a whole in cities in the country’s eastern region. We are sure that the insurgent Armenians were cooperating with Turkey’s enemies. They were attacking Turkish villages and conducting massacres.”

By Anadolu News Agency (aa), Kocaeli
April 25, 2006
http://www.zaman.com/?bl=national&alt=&hn=32464