Paying tribute to war, terror and violence victims on the day of liberation of Erzurum

I have published “Sorry My Dear Grandaunt, No Apology To You” on April 22, 2015 revealing that I had learnt that my grandaunt was among those Eastern Anatolian Muslims who were massacred by Armenian Tashnaksutyun chetes. I was not able to learn how it had happened then, and wanted to know the details.

Last summer my mother’s health declined and she moved into our flat. I had to phone and inform those who could have tried to reach her through the phone in her flat, and give them our phone number since mom did not use a cell phone. Her cousin A. was one of the people I had to call.  During the two months mom stayed with us until we bade farewell to her,  I spoke to A. a couple of times to give her information about mom’s health.  

Months later it occurred to me that A. could have known the details I was after and decided to visit her. She was very pleased with my visit and I received a very warm welcome. And, yes, she knew!

Aunt H was married and she was living in a town in the Erzurum province together with her husband and their baby son happily. But their happiness did not last long. During those years of warfare and turmoil a Tashnaksutyun chete made a sudden attack one night. During this raid some chete members intruded into their house and caught the family in bed, sleeping. They were all killed, including the baby, by bayonet strokes and bayonets were left on their bodies. A.’s father, Aunt H.’s elder brother rushed to the place as soon as he heard about the raid. What was written at the entrance of the town with bold letters was giving signs of the horrific scene he was to face: “Hot meat inside, cold meat outside”. When he reached his sister’s home, he found the whole family lying all in blood and ripped, including the baby. The brother was deeply horrified and could never forget what he has seen on that day. Unlike my grandfather, he could not keep this sorrow to himself, and would tell it to his children from time to time and burst into tears.

There was one detail, which can easily be guessed, evaded to be included into this telling by A. because she still belongs to the same world with Peter Balakian’s grandmother who says “No, it wasn’t a world where people went public about such things” as Balakian quotes in The Black Dog of Fate (p.185).

Chete members collected all gold and other valuables and buried them to come back and take them away later. Unfortunately, they were able to do so before the liberation of the province.

March 12 is the 98th anniversary of liberation of Erzurum this year. However, because of the high number of losses Erzurum pays tribute to those who lost their lives at the same time, while celebrating liberation.

As for me, I am not sure if it would be better not to know what had happened and have questions gnawing my brain or knowing that it was not only her, but also her beloved husband and their baby son we have lost, and in what a tragic and painful way. It is really tough! I am waiting for an apology from ARF (Armenian Revolutionary Federation, which is continuation of Tashnaksutyun) and their supporters.

NB. The title which originally was "Paying tribute to war, terror and violence victims on the day of emancipation" has been changed as "Paying tribute to war, terror and violence victims on the day of liberation of Erzurum" on together with replacement of emancipation with liberation in the text as well. 17.03.2017.