The unfounded mass burials of the so-called Armenian Genocide

International Journal of Social Sciences and Education Research Online, http://dergipark.gov.tr/ijsser Volume: 4(4), 2018 The unfounded mass burials of the so-called Armenian Genocide Yurdagül Atun1 Submission date: 15 / 07 / 2018 Ata Atun2 Accepted date: 01 / 10 / 2018 Abstract According to some sources, The Armenian Genocide Appeals (the so-called Armenian Genocide or the Unfounded Armenian Claims) indicate that the Armenian deportation, which was carried out by the Ottoman State in Eastern Anatolia for internal security reasons from May to November 1915, was aimed at destroying the Armenian community in the region, Millions of Armenians are alleged to have been killed by this reason. In the early years of the First World War, the Ottoman State while fighting in many fronts with Allied Powers, the Armenians attacked the Ottoman army jointly with the Russian army in the region up to Central Anatolia in the East and rebelled in many cities. In order to overcome these rebellions, the Ottoman State held a joint meeting with the Armenian Patriarchs, especially the Armenian Members of the Tanzimat Parliament, and the leaders of the Armenian community, and informed them that the Ottoman State would take countermeasures if the Armenians continued to kill local Muslim people in Eastern Anatolia. On the basis of this notion, the Ottoman State in April 24, 1915 arrested 235 people who had organized the rebellions and closed down all the Armenian Committees and local organizations that supported and organized the rebellions. The Ottoman State promulgated the Temporary Law of Deportation, in 27 May 1915. Accordingly, it was decided some of the Armenians in Eastern Anatolia would be displaced to Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. According to the Armenians' claims, massacre and genocide were carried out under the deportation title and 1.5 million Armenians were killed. This article is about the mass graves of 1.5 million Armenians which would form the basis of the massacre allegations, the size, how and by whom they were dug, how the massacred Armenians buried and how the mass graves covered with soil. The paper is written to investigate whether there are mass graves or not. Keywords: Ottoman, Armenian, Deportation, Mass grave, Genocide 1. Introduction According to Halaçoğlu: “The Ottoman archives carry instructions to the effect that Armenians and their properties are not to be subject to any harm and ill treatments during their journeys, and protection for them is also to be provided. The Ottoman Ministerial Council decided on 30 May, 1915 to provide all necessary means including housing, tools and funding from the immigration policy in cluding medical check-ups. In addition, those who attacked Armenians during this transportation are the be arrested and punished under severe circumstances by the Court of Divan War.” (Halaçoğlu, 2013). Therefore, it is quite incompatible with the facts to claim that the Ottoman State, taking into account the lives, health and residence of the Armenians during their journey, committed a genocide under the referral of the Ottoman State, which issued a law ordering sick, elderly and children to be looked after. It is incompatible with logic as well as mathematical computation. 1 2 Cyprus Science University, Department of Communications and Media, TRNC, Cyprus Science University, Department of Civil Engineering, TRNC, Copyright © 2015 by IJSSER ISSN: 2149-5939 572 Atun, Y., Atun, A. (2018). The unfounded mass burials of the so-called Armenian Genocide. International Journal of Social Sciences and Education Research, 4(4), 571-579. 2. Mathematical evaluation According to the Armenians' allegations, the so-called genocide was carried out within five and a half months from the end of May to the middle of November. It is not possible to actually claim that "Thousands of Armenians were forced to die freezing from the cold" as this can not be realized due to the climatic conditions within the period. There is also a major calculation error in terms of the claims against the conduct of the Ottoman State that must be looked at more closely. Suffice to stay, if a total of one and a half million Armenians were killed during this so-called massacre or genocide, which began at the end of May and ended in the middle of November, the law enforcement officers, ordained by the Ottoman State on average, must systematically kill tens of thousands of people every day. If one decides to approach these claims optimistically, assuming that every single Armenian murdered is killed by a single bullet, 10,000 bullets must be spent each day and 1.5 million bullets in total. According to the Ballistic Table, a bullet weight of 7.65 mm is 6.5 grams on average (Ballistic Table, http://www.paganx.org/balistics.htm). The total daily requirement of 10,000 bullets is 65 kg, together with casings 85 kg. Therefore, a total of 12.75 tons of bullets are required. Since these bullets can only be carried on the backs of animals in the mountains, this would be only possible with 2 donkeys or 2 camels and 4 people doing at least 2 shifts in order to carry the necessary daily bullets to the slaughter area. Also, in order to keep 10 thousand people under control and execute them, it is necessary to have a military unit or armed enforcement force available in the area. We are talking about the past, and therefore must know that it is not possible that such deep pits cannot be dug without the aid of trucks, excavators and the technology of today. Since thousands of excavators and trucks cannot be used in the past, thousands of people are needed to dig the mass graves, and to throw the slaughtered into the pits, and to cover them again. A service team providing food, beverages, toilets, and bathing for these thousands of armed people who are supposed to have carried out the massacres or genocide must also be in the vicinity of the slaughter field to address the needs of the alleged murderers. 3. Massacres and mass graves found in the world In 2018, five new mass graves were uncovered in the Arakan province of Myanmar, revealing the severity of the massacre against the Muslim population (Hurriyet, 2018). According to the Associated Press (AP) news agency, the discovery of at least 5 mass graves buried 400 unknowns in the Gu Da Pyin village of Buthidaung province, northern part of the province of Arakan province, has been confirmed (Atwood, 2018). According to Amor Mashovic, president of the DNA Center in Tuzla,“…When you include the year 2015, the number of public cemeteries in the country is 800. I cannot believe that the war in which 32 thousand 152 people were "lost" to records is still not officially considered "genocide". In 1995, the mass graves of the corpses were buried with shovels and were seen by the American satellites. Some mass graves have 1200, some have 200 people…" To sum up, Amor Mashovic declares that 32,152 people have been massacred and that these people have buried 800 m (...truncated)