Turkish soldier’s diary sheds light on Dersim massacresJanuary 8, 2020 - 14:17 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A Turkish historian has recently discovered the diary of a Turkish soldier who took part in the 1937-38 massacres in the Kurdish-majority province of Dersim, Turkey, Rudaw reports. When Dersim’s population rebelled against the Turkish military's increasing presence in the area, a brutal crackdown was instigated by Ankara. Thousands of Zaza Kurds, as well as Armenians were killed or internally displaced by the Turkish military campaign. Rebellion leader Seyid Riza and his son were hanged on November 15, 1937, in Dersim’s Elazig Bugday Square. Turkish historian Zainab Turkilmaz is a university instructor who has long been working on Ottoman and modern Turkish history. In August 2019, while searching the Ataturk Internet Archive, she discovered the diary of Turkish soldier named Yousif Kanaan Akim, who tells of the brutal Turkish army campaign through his own lens. "I was searching among the online archives of Ataturk. One of the key words I was searching was Dersim. While searching, I came across the diary of the Turkish soldier," Turkilmaz told Rudaw. Turkilmaz, who has been working on a book on the Dersim massacre since 1999, "immediately downloaded the document." "This document is one of the most precise and important sources, full of information with plenty of details concerning the massacre," she said. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |