Garo Paylan, the Armenian member of Turkey’s parliament, has demanded an inquiry from the country’s parliament regarding the “Black September” events of 1955.
The “Ramgavar Press” received this information from Garo Paylan’s parliamentary aide, Sevan Deyirmenjian.
Below we present to the attention of our readers the full text of the statement published by Garo Paylan on that occasion.
“Sixty-four years have passed since the pogrom of 6-7 September 1955, which once again caused the destruction of Turkey’s minority communities. Despite this reality, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey has to this day taken no step to bring to light those responsible for the pogrom.
We have demanded a parliamentary inquiry with the aim of bringing to light those responsible for the events of 6-7 September 1955, determining the human and material losses incurred, compensating the material and moral losses of the affected individuals and institutions, and, even if belatedly, re-establishing justice.
Sixty-four years have passed since those events to this day, when Turkey’s minorities experienced an incident that caused their collapse. Despite this reality, the Grand National Assembly has to this day done nothing to bring to light those responsible for these events.
Therefore, in accordance with Article 98 of the Constitution and Articles 104 and 105 of the internal regulations, we propose the implementation of a parliamentary inquiry in order to bring to light those responsible — whether state officials or ordinary citizens — who organised and planned the Pogrom of 6-7 September 1955, to determine the human and material losses, to compensate the material and moral damages of the affected individuals and organisations, and thus to ensure a confrontation with the past and, even if belatedly, to re-establish justice.
Garo PAYLAN
Deputy of Diyarbakir
RATIONALE
The pogrom of 6-7 September 1955, the events of 6-7 September, is one of the most horrifying episodes in the history of republican Turkey, with which no confrontation has yet taken place. According to official data, in Istanbul alone, 73 churches, 8 synagogues, 2 monasteries, 5,538 residences (3,584 of which belonged to Greeks) and workplaces were destroyed, burned and looted. Again according to official data, 60 women were subjected to rape and numerous people were killed. Studies conducted on the subject show that these figures are far higher than the official data. Moreover, as a consequence of the horrific crime remaining unpunished, tens of thousands of Greek, Armenian, Jewish and Assyrian citizens were forced to leave the country, yielding to pressures and threats against their lives.
The events of 6-7 September, particularly in Istanbul and Izmir, as well as in numerous other places, the looting of properties belonging to Greek, Armenian, Jewish and other non-Muslim minorities, the cases of rape, the violence perpetrated against clergymen, the plundering of cemeteries and the murders committed are recorded on the pages of Turkey’s history of shame. Those responsible, as in the case of other similar events of the republican period, not only remained unpunished, but the participants in or those responsible for the events received promotions.
For example, Sabri Yirmibeşoğlu, one of those responsible for the Martial Law inquiry commission during the period of 6-7 September, had confessed that “6-7 September was the work of special commando units. It was a magnificent organisation and it achieved its goal.” Despite this confession, over the years he rose through the ranks, and in 1988-1990 served as the Secretary-General of the National Security Council. Even Oktay Engin, who gave the signal for the pogrom by throwing a bomb at Atatürk’s house in Thessaloniki, rose in his career, which began at the law faculty of the University of Thessaloniki, to the post of governor of Nevşehir in 1992-93.
Recalling the aforementioned statements of Sabri Yirmibeşoğlu may be useful in understanding why the pogrom of 6-7 September 1955, like other crimes in Turkey’s history, remains unconfronted and its perpetrators unpunished. One can see how the state is complicit in certain crimes and remains free from responsibility for the resulting situation, as well as how it envelops criminals in a shield of impunity and accountability.
The mentality of not punishing those responsible but rewarding them has never changed. The officials involved in the murder of Hrant Dink, founder and editor-in-chief of the “Agos” weekly, killed in 2007, received promotions and were enveloped in a shield of impunity, which is the best example of the aforementioned continuity.
The Armenian, Greek, Assyrian and Jewish peoples, who since the end of the 19th century have repeatedly been subjected to state injustice, were once again destroyed by the pogrom of 6-7 September. Despite the 64 years that have passed, the Grand National Assembly has taken no step to bring to light those responsible for the events. The call made in this direction to the National Assembly in 2015 by the World Federation of Constantinopolitan Greeks residing in Athens also remained unanswered.
Rationale
Bringing to light those responsible for the events of 6-7 September 1955, determining the human and material losses incurred, compensating the material and moral losses of the affected individuals and institutions, and, even if belatedly, re-establishing justice would be an important step by the Grand National Assembly in terms of confronting the past. For this reason, we demand that a parliamentary inquiry be conducted.
