April 24 circular
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| Armenian Genocide |
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| Early elements |
| Hamidian Massacres · 1896 Ottoman Bank Takeover · Adana Massacre · Young Turk Revolution |
| The Genocide |
| April 24, 1915 · Tehcir Law · Armenian casualties of deportations · Ottoman Armenian casualties |
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| Responsible parties |
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April 24 circular<ref>Archive code BOA. DH. ŞFR, nr.52/96,97,98</ref> on opposition was the name given to most famous circular passed on April 24 1915 by Talat Pasha (turkce: Dahiliye Nazırı Talat Paşa) which authorized the governors of the Ottoman Empire to arrest the members of Armenian Revolutionary Federation, and Hentchak; also collect the documents from the party houses and destroy the arms that would be seized. April 24 circular aimed to control the activities of members of Armenian Revolutionary Federation, and Hentchak. In the Talat Pasha’s memoirs, it was marked as expected insurgency operations by radical Armenian nationalistic groups before the allied operation during WWI, April 25 was the onset of the Battle of Gallipoli, which he accused radical groups of being in collaboration with the invading Triple Entente forces.
From the law makers perspective, the circular was based on the intelligence that radical Armenian national groups were seeking an establishment of democratic republic of Armenia and these parties were in the process of collecting Armenian volunteer units, or planning irregular bands to have insurgency fighting inside Ottoman borders, or organizing Armenian resistance movements for the establishment of Armenian provisional government. <ref>The circular was based on the ottoman intelligence that there were bands fighting inside Ottoman Borders, which this intelligence was clarified during the Paris Peace Conference by Bogos Nubar the president of the "Armenian National Delegation": "In the Caucasus, where, without mentioning the 150,000 Armenians in the Imperial Russian Army, more than 40,000 of their volunteers contributed to the liberation of a portion of the Armenian vilayets, and where, under the command of their leaders, Antranik and Nazerbekoff, they, alone among the peoples of the Caucasus, offered resistance to the Turkish armies, from the beginning of the Bolshevist withdrawal right up to the signing of an armistice." by Bogos Nubar the president of the "Armenian National Delegation" letter to French Foreign Office - December 3, 1918</ref>.
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[edit] Execution of the circular
The April 24 circular was published by the interior office (Talat Pasha), however the follow up was performed by the Supreme Military Command (military) on April 26 1915, second day of Battle of Gallipoli. Captured detainees by the military were transferred to (settled) Ankara and Cankırı <ref>BOA. DH. ŞFR, nr. 52/51; nr. 52/255; nr. 52/266</ref>, far from the battle field. To prevent further problems on Armenian citizens being accused of rebellions against the Empire by the April 24 circular; the ottoman parlement passed a temporary law to replace the circular by relacing the arrest with seizing the arms of non-Muslims (Armenians), the unarmed population would not be a threat to Empire, would be performed instead of the conditions of the April 24 circular. <ref>BOA. DH. ŞFR, nr. 52/51; nr. 52/255; nr. 52/266</ref>. The temporary law (from the parliament with Armenian representatives) wanted to separate the innocent from guilty by reasoning that only armed Armenians would be against the Empire and for the Armenian citizens of the Empire would not require protection.
[edit] Result of the circular
As a response on this circular within the next two days 2345 prisoners whom were active members of these organiztions were arrested <ref>Kamuran Gürün, Tarih Boyunca Ermeni Meselesi, p. 213</ref>. Most historians perceive this activity as Armenian writers, lawyers, journalists, doctors, politicians and clergymen who were deliberately rounded up so as to break the backbone of the Armenian community. <ref>http://www.april24.net/</ref>
[edit] Notes
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