Araksi Demirchyan, a 90-year-old resident of Gyumri, is demanding justice and the restitution of property listed in her mother Mariam Khachikyan-Demirchyan’s will—assets the family lost during the Armenian Genocide. She also hopes that, beyond justice for the will, the genocide itself will gain universal recognition.
“Let the world know what we lost and the justice we’ve been seeking for so many years,” she told Armenpress.
Demirchyan’s grandmother, Martha Khachikyan, was born in Syria to a family with roots in Kharberd. During the genocide, having lost her husband, she sought refuge in Aleppo with her three daughters. In 1929, she petitioned the high commission of the Aleppo vilayet to reclaim rights to property left behind in Turkey. Despite submitting all required documents, the case was never resolved.
In 1946, the Demirchyan family repatriated from Syria to Armenia.
“I was nine when we arrived. We came with love, knowing this was our home, our hearth. We were always told that Armenians must live on their land,” Araksi recalled, emphasizing that her family never regretted their decision to return.
Araksi shared that her mother’s will—translated into Armenian—is preserved at the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, while the originals are kept at home in a small green box. These documents prove the existence of houses, estates, pastures, and other properties in Kharberd, valued at 18,000 Turkish liras as of 1929.
“This box contains my family’s entire past. I found it after my mother passed, while organizing her clothes. Once the documents were translated, I realized the enormous loss we had suffered,” she said.
Over the years, Araksi has appealed to numerous organizations both in Armenia and abroad, even traveling to Turkey to consult legal experts, but claims no tangible progress has been made.
“I sent a letter to the Armenian Cause office. I’ve made a pact with God—not to die until I get that money back. Once I recover the property, I’ll donate it to orphanages and nursing homes. It’s my duty. I’m old now—if I don’t succeed, my assets will remain with the Turks,” Demirchyan concluded.
