The Deportation of Armenian Intellectuals
Navid Zuberi, Reporter
April 26, 1915
Constantinople- The Ottoman empire, ruled by the Young Turks, have commenced deporting Armenian intellectuals from the Constantinople to holding centres. The operation commenced at 8 pm and during this night the first wave consisted of approximately 235-270 Armenian intellectuals who consist of clergymen, physicians, journalists, lawyers, teachers and politicians. In total, through a series of waves it is estimated that 2,345 Armenians, most of whom had no political affiliation, were detained and deported.
Many of the prisoners were taken to Ottoman Syria where where they would be imprisoned and Armenians found along the way were also arrested and taken as prisoners. Upon the completion of the 20 hours train ride to Ottoman Syria these deportees were then separated into two groups. One group was to the province of Amasya, near the Black Sea, while the other group was sent to the province of Ayas. Many of the deportees passed away while travelling to these provinces and throughout months majority of the population was killed in this prison and it is estimated that 150 additional prisoners of war were arrested and placed in these camps.
During the deportation of the Armenians they, "Died or were massacred during deportation," according to a British intelligence officer.
In these prison it was reported that many Armenians died of hunger and it was not uncommon for the deportees to be abandoned in the desert and left there to die. Regarding the properties of those deported, the government took all possessions as they are designated as "abandoned".
Navid Zuberi, Reporter
April 26, 1915
Constantinople- The Ottoman empire, ruled by the Young Turks, have commenced deporting Armenian intellectuals from the Constantinople to holding centres. The operation commenced at 8 pm and during this night the first wave consisted of approximately 235-270 Armenian intellectuals who consist of clergymen, physicians, journalists, lawyers, teachers and politicians. In total, through a series of waves it is estimated that 2,345 Armenians, most of whom had no political affiliation, were detained and deported.
Many of the prisoners were taken to Ottoman Syria where where they would be imprisoned and Armenians found along the way were also arrested and taken as prisoners. Upon the completion of the 20 hours train ride to Ottoman Syria these deportees were then separated into two groups. One group was to the province of Amasya, near the Black Sea, while the other group was sent to the province of Ayas. Many of the deportees passed away while travelling to these provinces and throughout months majority of the population was killed in this prison and it is estimated that 150 additional prisoners of war were arrested and placed in these camps.
During the deportation of the Armenians they, "Died or were massacred during deportation," according to a British intelligence officer.
In these prison it was reported that many Armenians died of hunger and it was not uncommon for the deportees to be abandoned in the desert and left there to die. Regarding the properties of those deported, the government took all possessions as they are designated as "abandoned".
Bosnian Genocide Survivor Shares His Traumatizing Experience
Navid Zuberi, Reporter
March 19,2006
The Bosnian Genocide was the horrific mass murder of over 100,000 innocent civilians which took place during a three year war lasting through 1992-1995. The ethnic cleansing campaign aimed at Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats has left many scared due to the barbaric murders which can never be unseen. Many suffer from constant heartache caused from the loss of various loved ones. Unfortunately, the world leaders did not live up to their word when they said "Never again" and evidently the voices of those who were once beloved to many will never be heard again. Karim ibn Abdullah, a survivor of the genocide, was kind enough to relive those difficult memories of the war for an interview with us and to teach us all that we have to "Never forget" to be able to say "Never again."
What was life like during the war?
War life was hard. It was like trying to survive in a living hell. My earliest memory of the war is when the Army of the Republika of Sprska had our city of Sarajevo surrounded. Every night we would hear cries of a family who lost loved ones. We would hear snipers shooting into the street and into the houses of people. We would hear grenades going off. We would hear young women crying while being raped and the soldier telling her to shut up or he'll shoot her. I remember during the nights me and my sister would get afraid of all the noise and we would run to our mother who would hug us covering our ears telling us that it would be over soon. We wanted to believe her, but we all knew that it was far from over. My father would just sit next to the fire place looking into the fire with tears flowing down his cheeks, trying to be strong for us. During the first couple of months school was still open and the children would continue to go to school if the parents permitted. Every couple of weeks, we would see fewer and fewer children at school. The teacher would always tell us that kids were at home that day, but we all knew why they were no longer at school. Nobody dared to say it even though in the back of our heads we knew that they were dead. Despite all the risk of coming to school I continued to go. I always thought that maybe if I worked hard enough I will be president one day and stop all of the killing. When the war became too serious I was no longer able to go to school because the danger level was too high. The days became much longer with boredom. I tried to occupy myself by doing puzzles everyday. We barely had any food to eat. We got thinner and thinner everyday that we wouldn't have anything to eat. When hunger became too intense, my sister and I would cry to our mother asking for food. My mother would put water in a pot and put it on a stove and tell us that she's cooking until we fell asleep. We knew that there was no food in there but we always had a sense of hope that maybe one day the water will magically turn into soup. We didn't dare to go get food outside because we were too scared to get shot by a sniper.
What were your first thoughts when you first witnessed a murder?
I don't think that I will ever forget that day. That memory will forever haunt me. If I remember correctly, the first time I saw somebody die was September 10, 1993 ,when I was 10 years old. About a year after the war started. That day, my mother ran into the sitting room crying, telling us that my sister left a note saying that she could no longer handle the hunger so she went to go steal some food. My mother was sure that she was dead but I still had hope. I ran out of our apartment to go look for her despite everyone yelling at me telling me not to leave. I ran and ran as fast as I could looking for her for about ten minutes. When I was about to give up I heard familiar scream coming from an alleyway. Carefully I walked over to see who might be screaming. What I saw then is still engraved in my head as if it just happened. I saw a man, who looked like he was in his early twenties, casting a shadow over my sister with his army pants down to his ankle. He had his gun out, pointing it to her, telling her to shut up or she'll be shot. She stopped crying but you could just see the fear in her eyes as the man walked closer towards her. The next thing that I saw was my sister being raped. I could not watch any more. I ran away as fast as I could because I knew that if he saw me I would be killed on the spot. After running a couple hundred meters I hear a gun shot come from the alleyway. I didn't stop to confront the man, I just ran. I ran into the apartment and locked myself in the washroom. At first all I did was cry without any thought. I cried until I couldn't cry anymore. In the washroom of my small apartment, I realized how naive I was. I kept on asking myself how is it possible that human hearts and souls could carry such evil in them.
What was the hardest part of living through the genocide?
To be completely honest with you, I would be lying to tell you that witnessing people die was the hardest part. Of course seeing people die was always difficult however, the heartache that the families went through after a death of loved ones will always be the hardest part of war. Every night when I would go to bed I would hear neighbors come into my house and cry to my mother and father about losing a family member. I would always sneak out of bed and listen to my parents trying to comfort them. I was really able to feel the intensity of pain that they would go through and it would really touch me on a personal level. It always brought back memories of how I felt when my sister had her life taken away by the soldiers. Just seeing my parents trying to comfort others while also having to try and stay strong after losing their daughter was difficult. I could never wish the pain that people went through on anybody therefore, seeing this pain brought me to tears every time I would hear somebody cry over the loss of a loved one.
Was it common for people to become desensitized during the war?
Yes. Unfortunately, many people become so concentrated on trying to survive and are just so used to seeing people being raped and killed that they just stop feelings the same emotions which they felt at first. I was a victim of becoming desensitized and I would guess that majority of the population exposed to the genocide became desensitized at one point. You have to be this way to survive. If you don't you will constantly have heartache and maybe become depressed. During the war, I didn't stop caring that people dies, I stopped thinking. Whenever I would witness somebody die, I didn't think anything of it. I was just happy that it wasn't me. Sure this might sound cruel however, you have to understand that in this situation survival is the main goal. Everything else comes second and if you start thinking, you start to develop feelings which will only pull you six feet down into your grave. Seeing people die becomes a natural thing after witnessing it every day therefore, it becomes such a big part in life that if you didn't see someone die that day it was not normal.
Do you think that the world will finally mean it when they say "Never again?"
I hope that the world will finally mean it and not like they said they mean it after World War II because they let this genocide take place. Unfortunately, I would have to say no. I think that the world will continue to let genocides take place like they have and will just sit back and watch them continue happening. After a tragic event occurs in history, like this genocide the world should learn a lesson to not allow it to happen again. Apparently, since genocides still continue to happen the Bosnian genocide didn't teach anyone a lesson. Maybe because the world keeps on saying "Never Again" when they should saying "Never Forget" before they can make that promise.
March 19,2006
The Bosnian Genocide was the horrific mass murder of over 100,000 innocent civilians which took place during a three year war lasting through 1992-1995. The ethnic cleansing campaign aimed at Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats has left many scared due to the barbaric murders which can never be unseen. Many suffer from constant heartache caused from the loss of various loved ones. Unfortunately, the world leaders did not live up to their word when they said "Never again" and evidently the voices of those who were once beloved to many will never be heard again. Karim ibn Abdullah, a survivor of the genocide, was kind enough to relive those difficult memories of the war for an interview with us and to teach us all that we have to "Never forget" to be able to say "Never again."
What was life like during the war?
War life was hard. It was like trying to survive in a living hell. My earliest memory of the war is when the Army of the Republika of Sprska had our city of Sarajevo surrounded. Every night we would hear cries of a family who lost loved ones. We would hear snipers shooting into the street and into the houses of people. We would hear grenades going off. We would hear young women crying while being raped and the soldier telling her to shut up or he'll shoot her. I remember during the nights me and my sister would get afraid of all the noise and we would run to our mother who would hug us covering our ears telling us that it would be over soon. We wanted to believe her, but we all knew that it was far from over. My father would just sit next to the fire place looking into the fire with tears flowing down his cheeks, trying to be strong for us. During the first couple of months school was still open and the children would continue to go to school if the parents permitted. Every couple of weeks, we would see fewer and fewer children at school. The teacher would always tell us that kids were at home that day, but we all knew why they were no longer at school. Nobody dared to say it even though in the back of our heads we knew that they were dead. Despite all the risk of coming to school I continued to go. I always thought that maybe if I worked hard enough I will be president one day and stop all of the killing. When the war became too serious I was no longer able to go to school because the danger level was too high. The days became much longer with boredom. I tried to occupy myself by doing puzzles everyday. We barely had any food to eat. We got thinner and thinner everyday that we wouldn't have anything to eat. When hunger became too intense, my sister and I would cry to our mother asking for food. My mother would put water in a pot and put it on a stove and tell us that she's cooking until we fell asleep. We knew that there was no food in there but we always had a sense of hope that maybe one day the water will magically turn into soup. We didn't dare to go get food outside because we were too scared to get shot by a sniper.
What were your first thoughts when you first witnessed a murder?
I don't think that I will ever forget that day. That memory will forever haunt me. If I remember correctly, the first time I saw somebody die was September 10, 1993 ,when I was 10 years old. About a year after the war started. That day, my mother ran into the sitting room crying, telling us that my sister left a note saying that she could no longer handle the hunger so she went to go steal some food. My mother was sure that she was dead but I still had hope. I ran out of our apartment to go look for her despite everyone yelling at me telling me not to leave. I ran and ran as fast as I could looking for her for about ten minutes. When I was about to give up I heard familiar scream coming from an alleyway. Carefully I walked over to see who might be screaming. What I saw then is still engraved in my head as if it just happened. I saw a man, who looked like he was in his early twenties, casting a shadow over my sister with his army pants down to his ankle. He had his gun out, pointing it to her, telling her to shut up or she'll be shot. She stopped crying but you could just see the fear in her eyes as the man walked closer towards her. The next thing that I saw was my sister being raped. I could not watch any more. I ran away as fast as I could because I knew that if he saw me I would be killed on the spot. After running a couple hundred meters I hear a gun shot come from the alleyway. I didn't stop to confront the man, I just ran. I ran into the apartment and locked myself in the washroom. At first all I did was cry without any thought. I cried until I couldn't cry anymore. In the washroom of my small apartment, I realized how naive I was. I kept on asking myself how is it possible that human hearts and souls could carry such evil in them.
What was the hardest part of living through the genocide?
To be completely honest with you, I would be lying to tell you that witnessing people die was the hardest part. Of course seeing people die was always difficult however, the heartache that the families went through after a death of loved ones will always be the hardest part of war. Every night when I would go to bed I would hear neighbors come into my house and cry to my mother and father about losing a family member. I would always sneak out of bed and listen to my parents trying to comfort them. I was really able to feel the intensity of pain that they would go through and it would really touch me on a personal level. It always brought back memories of how I felt when my sister had her life taken away by the soldiers. Just seeing my parents trying to comfort others while also having to try and stay strong after losing their daughter was difficult. I could never wish the pain that people went through on anybody therefore, seeing this pain brought me to tears every time I would hear somebody cry over the loss of a loved one.
Was it common for people to become desensitized during the war?
Yes. Unfortunately, many people become so concentrated on trying to survive and are just so used to seeing people being raped and killed that they just stop feelings the same emotions which they felt at first. I was a victim of becoming desensitized and I would guess that majority of the population exposed to the genocide became desensitized at one point. You have to be this way to survive. If you don't you will constantly have heartache and maybe become depressed. During the war, I didn't stop caring that people dies, I stopped thinking. Whenever I would witness somebody die, I didn't think anything of it. I was just happy that it wasn't me. Sure this might sound cruel however, you have to understand that in this situation survival is the main goal. Everything else comes second and if you start thinking, you start to develop feelings which will only pull you six feet down into your grave. Seeing people die becomes a natural thing after witnessing it every day therefore, it becomes such a big part in life that if you didn't see someone die that day it was not normal.
Do you think that the world will finally mean it when they say "Never again?"
I hope that the world will finally mean it and not like they said they mean it after World War II because they let this genocide take place. Unfortunately, I would have to say no. I think that the world will continue to let genocides take place like they have and will just sit back and watch them continue happening. After a tragic event occurs in history, like this genocide the world should learn a lesson to not allow it to happen again. Apparently, since genocides still continue to happen the Bosnian genocide didn't teach anyone a lesson. Maybe because the world keeps on saying "Never Again" when they should saying "Never Forget" before they can make that promise.
Rwanda Genocide Victim Wrights letter to World
Dear World,
You have let me down. You have let us down. You have let all of the innocent souls in Rwanda down. How could you? How could you just stand by while innocent souls are facing death by the hands of injustice. Do our lives mean nothing to you? Every day hundreds of us die like an ant colony being stepped on, yet we still do not see any support. Is the world not supposed to stop injustice from occurring against people? If they are, then what are they waiting for? We are facing the highest levels of injustice first hand and we do not see any interference against this.
Oh world, have you not learned your lesson of the consequences of not standing up against injustice in World War II? Have you not promised to stand against injustice? You are staying so silent against this crime against humanity that it appears that you are not staying by your word. It appears that this is your true face that we are witnessing now: Insensitive, heart-less liars. Are we not people just like you? This world should be treated like a human body. When one part of the body is in pain the entire body is in distress. Therefore, if one part of the world is in pain like we are shouldn't you the world feel distress. When the body is in pain the other part of the body works together to cure the pain then should the world not work together to cure the pain which we are feeling.
You have let us all down and will soon feel the guilt of not helping people who are in the midst of facing a grave injustice towards them. You had the responsibility to help us however, it seems that you were not able to live up to the responsibility of standing against injustice. My time is likely almost over however I know that my abode is in a much better place than yours will this is al over.
Sincerely,
All of the innocent lost souls
You have let me down. You have let us down. You have let all of the innocent souls in Rwanda down. How could you? How could you just stand by while innocent souls are facing death by the hands of injustice. Do our lives mean nothing to you? Every day hundreds of us die like an ant colony being stepped on, yet we still do not see any support. Is the world not supposed to stop injustice from occurring against people? If they are, then what are they waiting for? We are facing the highest levels of injustice first hand and we do not see any interference against this.
Oh world, have you not learned your lesson of the consequences of not standing up against injustice in World War II? Have you not promised to stand against injustice? You are staying so silent against this crime against humanity that it appears that you are not staying by your word. It appears that this is your true face that we are witnessing now: Insensitive, heart-less liars. Are we not people just like you? This world should be treated like a human body. When one part of the body is in pain the entire body is in distress. Therefore, if one part of the world is in pain like we are shouldn't you the world feel distress. When the body is in pain the other part of the body works together to cure the pain then should the world not work together to cure the pain which we are feeling.
You have let us all down and will soon feel the guilt of not helping people who are in the midst of facing a grave injustice towards them. You had the responsibility to help us however, it seems that you were not able to live up to the responsibility of standing against injustice. My time is likely almost over however I know that my abode is in a much better place than yours will this is al over.
Sincerely,
All of the innocent lost souls
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's Biography
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was a Bangladeshi nationalist leader who as the head of the Awami League political party, inspired the country to liberate itself from Pakistan. He was the first Prime Minister of Bangladesh and is often referred to as Bangadanbhu, which translates into "Friend of Bengal" as he stopped the oppression of the citizens of East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, from the Pakistani government. He inspired people to create a state in which Bengali's would be able to be represented in government and have the people of Bengal the opportunity to have full political, economic and cultural control.
He was born on March 17, 1920 into a family of six children, four daughters and two sons, as the third child to Sheikh Lutfur Rahman, an officer responsible for record-keeping for a civil court, in the province of Bengal in British Indian, now located in Bangladesh. In 1938, when he was 18 years old Sheikh Mujib married Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib and had two daughters and three sons. His eldest daughter Sheikh Hasina is now the current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. Ever since a young age Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had an interest in politics and evidently in 1940 he joined the All Indian Muslim Students Federation, a group affiliated with the All India Muslim league political party. Upon realising that he had an interest in politics he enrolled in Islamia College, a well-respected college with an affiliation to the University of Calcutta, to study law and politics.
After the partition of India in 1947, where Pakistan and India became two different countries, Rahman decided to stay in the land of Pakistan as he was born in that territory. Upon returning to East Pakistan he enrolled in the University of Dhaka to study law and he founded the East Pakistan Muslim Students League and evidently become one of the most powerful young political leaders in East Pakistan. Following the declaration that Urdu would become the official language of Pakistan, in 1949, even though Bengali was the majority language spoken, Sheikh Mujib led the Muslim Student' League in organising peaceful strikes and protests. Due to his large influence among the East Pakistani population he was arrested and put into jail in the hopes of calming down the protests. Whilst in jail he undertook a 13 day hunger strike and upon hearing the news that Rahman was put in jail, the citizens of Bengal increases protests and he was released.After being released from jail he would not stand back against the oppressive Pakistani regime and continued to demand that Bengali become the official national language as it is the tongue of majority of the country's population. A decade after Mujibur Rahman joined the Awami League party, he found himself in jail once again until 1961for protesting against the suspension of the constitution and the imposing of the martial law, an act which states that the highest ranking military officer is the head of the state thus removing power from the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government, by the General Ayub Khan.
Following the death of the previous Awami League leader, Shrurawardy, Rahman became the undisputed leader of the political party and under his leadership became one of the largest political parties in Pakistan. As the leader of Awami League he rallied in opposition to Ayub Khan which brought him back to imprisonment before the elections on charges related to sedition. After being released from jail he devised a 6-point plan in 1966 which gave the Bengali's autonomy over political and economic business and limited the central government to only being in charge of military for protection and foreign affairs. This plan was rejected by the central government and due to this plan he was sent to jail in 1967, charged on treason. However, due to nationwide protests he was released in 1969.
During the Pakistani General Elections held on December 7, 1970 Mujibur Rahman's Awami League won the majority of the seats for East Pakistan however, West Pakistan could not accept this therefore, the assembly was indefinitely postponed by Pakistani president Yahya Khan. The Bengali's were outraged by this and therefore, they started violently protesting. However, on the famous March 7, 1971 speech by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, he called for independence of a Bengali state and launched a civil disobedience campaign. As a result the Pakistani Central government banned the Awami League and called for Mujibur Rahman to be arrested for treason. However, this could not calm the fight for liberation as the influence of Mujibur Rahman remained therefore, in an attempt to restore peace a genocide commenced in East Pakistan ordered by Yahya Khan on March 26, 1971. Systematic killings of academics and religious minorities were carried out which eventually led to the death of three million people. However, Bangladesh would not back down and with Indian intervention Pakistan surrendered and Bangladesh was created.
Upon the ending of the war Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was released from prison under international pressure and went back to the newly formed Bangladesh and became the nations first Prime Minister. He helped Bangladesh enter the United Nations and travelled to many countries to gain humanitarian aid. Consecutive famines in 1973 and 1974 resulted in a famine and killed roughly 30,000 people. Due to this many people were upset that he could not feed the population and therefore, resulted in his assassination in 1975 by junior officers of the Bangladeshi army.
He was born on March 17, 1920 into a family of six children, four daughters and two sons, as the third child to Sheikh Lutfur Rahman, an officer responsible for record-keeping for a civil court, in the province of Bengal in British Indian, now located in Bangladesh. In 1938, when he was 18 years old Sheikh Mujib married Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib and had two daughters and three sons. His eldest daughter Sheikh Hasina is now the current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. Ever since a young age Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had an interest in politics and evidently in 1940 he joined the All Indian Muslim Students Federation, a group affiliated with the All India Muslim league political party. Upon realising that he had an interest in politics he enrolled in Islamia College, a well-respected college with an affiliation to the University of Calcutta, to study law and politics.
After the partition of India in 1947, where Pakistan and India became two different countries, Rahman decided to stay in the land of Pakistan as he was born in that territory. Upon returning to East Pakistan he enrolled in the University of Dhaka to study law and he founded the East Pakistan Muslim Students League and evidently become one of the most powerful young political leaders in East Pakistan. Following the declaration that Urdu would become the official language of Pakistan, in 1949, even though Bengali was the majority language spoken, Sheikh Mujib led the Muslim Student' League in organising peaceful strikes and protests. Due to his large influence among the East Pakistani population he was arrested and put into jail in the hopes of calming down the protests. Whilst in jail he undertook a 13 day hunger strike and upon hearing the news that Rahman was put in jail, the citizens of Bengal increases protests and he was released.After being released from jail he would not stand back against the oppressive Pakistani regime and continued to demand that Bengali become the official national language as it is the tongue of majority of the country's population. A decade after Mujibur Rahman joined the Awami League party, he found himself in jail once again until 1961for protesting against the suspension of the constitution and the imposing of the martial law, an act which states that the highest ranking military officer is the head of the state thus removing power from the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government, by the General Ayub Khan.
Following the death of the previous Awami League leader, Shrurawardy, Rahman became the undisputed leader of the political party and under his leadership became one of the largest political parties in Pakistan. As the leader of Awami League he rallied in opposition to Ayub Khan which brought him back to imprisonment before the elections on charges related to sedition. After being released from jail he devised a 6-point plan in 1966 which gave the Bengali's autonomy over political and economic business and limited the central government to only being in charge of military for protection and foreign affairs. This plan was rejected by the central government and due to this plan he was sent to jail in 1967, charged on treason. However, due to nationwide protests he was released in 1969.
During the Pakistani General Elections held on December 7, 1970 Mujibur Rahman's Awami League won the majority of the seats for East Pakistan however, West Pakistan could not accept this therefore, the assembly was indefinitely postponed by Pakistani president Yahya Khan. The Bengali's were outraged by this and therefore, they started violently protesting. However, on the famous March 7, 1971 speech by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, he called for independence of a Bengali state and launched a civil disobedience campaign. As a result the Pakistani Central government banned the Awami League and called for Mujibur Rahman to be arrested for treason. However, this could not calm the fight for liberation as the influence of Mujibur Rahman remained therefore, in an attempt to restore peace a genocide commenced in East Pakistan ordered by Yahya Khan on March 26, 1971. Systematic killings of academics and religious minorities were carried out which eventually led to the death of three million people. However, Bangladesh would not back down and with Indian intervention Pakistan surrendered and Bangladesh was created.
Upon the ending of the war Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was released from prison under international pressure and went back to the newly formed Bangladesh and became the nations first Prime Minister. He helped Bangladesh enter the United Nations and travelled to many countries to gain humanitarian aid. Consecutive famines in 1973 and 1974 resulted in a famine and killed roughly 30,000 people. Due to this many people were upset that he could not feed the population and therefore, resulted in his assassination in 1975 by junior officers of the Bangladeshi army.