SHAMIL GURBANOV,
PROFESSOR,DOCTOR OF PHILOLOGY,
MEMBER OF THE MILLI MEJLIS OF THE AZERBAIJAN REPUBLIC
Acts of terrorism of Armenians began from 1896. That year they exploded a post office in Istanbul and caused the death of a number of innocent citizens. This act of terrorism caused hatred in the world community towards Armenian. But the feeling of hatred was not forever. On the contrary, later, that act of terrorism was justified by presenting Armenian people as poor and pitiful. Armenians liked that. In 1905-1907, 1918-1920, 1937, 1948-52 and 1988 they committed acts of terrorism against our nation. During the century we became victims of several open and confident acts of terrorism and exiles. Moreover, I can mention World Wars I and II. During those years Azeris suffered much from the atrocities of the Armenians. But we kept silent every time. We were forced to forget and we forgot everything.
Many thanks to Mr. Heydar Aliyev, the President of the Azerbaijan Republic. He re-established the memory of our people in respect of the acts of terrorism and repressions. He created possibilities to study a true history.
Armenians indicate false facts of history in their school-books. They do everything to cherish in the memory of future generation, false facts of history. While dying, Daronyan, famous Armenian writer addressed his people with the words, “Armenian if you saw and did not kill a poisoned snake you could be forgiven, but if you saw and did not kill a Turk you would not be forgiven by any Armenian”.
These words indicate a wish of our thankless neighbors. We visited the grave of M. A. Rasulzada at the oldest Ankara cemetery. Near, that grave we saw graves of Turkish diplomats killed at their jobs by Armenian terrorists.
39 Turkish diplomats were killed in different countries from January 27, 1973 to November 19, 1988. Their corpses were delivered to Turkey and they were buried in that cemetery. “Here are the graves of those killed by terrorists at their job places” — these are records written on their memorial monuments.
I asked Turkish men, as if unaware, whether they knew by which terrorists this was done. “Of course Armenians,”-Yahya Dashdalan answered.
Well, we can not ask that gentleman to accompany every visitor of this cemetery. We can no ask him to announce to everybody what was done by Armenians. The Turks wrote names of those killed and their dates of death on the memorials. Why not inform everybody about the guilty parties.
While speaking about our enemies, it is necessary to point out that they teach their babies from their cradles that the Turks are the most severe enemy of Armenian.
One of the Turkish gentlemen half in a joke but half in a serious way said that by mentioning names of Armenians in the records on memorials of victims would insult the spirits of those victims.
Another gentleman supported my idea and said: “We had to indicate names of the guilty parties not only on the grave memorials. We should also indicate them in school-books so that our young generations are informed of enemies we met while defending our origin, nation and motherland.”
A lot of people in our country think the same way. On February 28, 1906 at the meeting held in Tiflis near the Caucasian official Ahmad bay Agayev revealed and condemned the indifferent attitude of authorities towards the action of the “Dashnak” Party. He said: “Thus, there had been a 15 year old armed party. Nobody even in the government tried to prevent their atrocities. This party was even supported. So, we ourselves had to prevent these atrocities.”
As a way of struggle Ahmad bay considered a suppression of terrorism. Thus, he decided to create “Difai” Party. Ganja was chosen as a motherland for this party. On the back way from Tiflis he stopped in Ganja. There he met with a progressive youth and intellectuals. He delivered a speech in a Mosque full of people. “Dear people of Ganja! We were impressed by last clash between Turks and Armenians. Neither Muslim religion nor humanity can accept such atrocities… Even wild animals did not allow themselves actions which were done by Armenians. There was no similar case in the history”.
That evening Ahad bay and some intellectuals of Ganja (Alakbar Rafibayli, Alakbar and Alaskar Khasmammadov brothers, doctor Hasan Agayev and Nasib bay Usubbayov held a meeting. They came to a unanimous conclusion that “people had to be mobilized.” They did so and created “Difai”.
In our 70 years of history and political resources “Difai” was considered as a party with an aim “to cause clashes between nations.” “Difai” increased very quickly. Several days later it was not possible to prevent the dissemination of proclamations calling on revenge. One of those proclamations ran: “The purpose of our party is to establish unity and sincere fraternity among the Caucasian parties. But if “Dashnak” Party continue its aggressive attacks on Muslims they will meet with severe response.”
Immediately after Armenians felt in panicked and had to conclude a peace agreement. That peace lasted just 10 years. In 1918 Armenians got another beneficial situation.
I would like to describe one of the scenes of 1906. It is from the memories of Omar Faig. I read a fragment of Omar Faig in Tifiis while preparing it for publication. I memorized this scene in my heart forever. Omar Faig wrote: “While passing across Vorontsov Bridge Turkish porters were thrown into river”. Thrown into water the drowning Turkish porters tried to do their best to survive. They were about to reach a shore but faced gun fire. Porters disappeared. Then the surface of the water was full of blood and corpses. It was the worst picture I had ever seen”.
Such terrible scenes could be observed in almost all big Caucasian cities. Even women, children and old-aged people were not spared. In comparison with 1918 a tragedy of 1906 was not so terrible. A number of killed or brutally injured Azeris were much more increased in 1918. The situation was very difficult and the Azeris did not have guns. Well armed Armenian soldiers who came back from the Iranian front were concentrated in Baku. Leaders of those soldiers were Armenians. On March 30 the Defense Committee was established with the aim to coordinate the battle. A Committee headed by S. Shaumyan included Japaridze, Korganov, Saakyan, Yolchiyan and others. Baku was devastated within 3 days. This is a fragment from the memories of N. Narimanov: “Even if a Muslim was a bolshevik he was not spared. Dashnaks said that they did not recognize any difference whether a person was a bolshevik or not. If a person is a Muslim he should be killed. They killed everyone they wanted, destroyed and ruined every house they did not like. Using a cover of bolshevism Dashnaks were very brutal against Azeris – both women and men”. 12.000 of Azeri civilian were murdered in Baku, 7.000 in Shamakhi and the same number in Guba and other cities. Atrocities by Armenians were described by witnesses: insulted corpses of 57 Muslim women were found with their ears and noses, sex organs cut off, stomach tore off. During their massacres Armenians entered a house of 80 year old Haji Amir Aliyev and killed his old spouses (60 and 70 years old). They also cut into pieces a 3 year old baby and nailed a 25 year old woman to a wall.
In this book “History of Azerbaijan Struggle for Independence” Huseyn Baygara wrote: “The massacre of Azeri Turks began in Baku on March 30, 31 and on April 1 disseminated around Shamakhi, Kurdamir, Salyan, Guba and Lankaran. Their next point of aggression was Ganja. They colluded with Armenians from Karabakh, joined forces and moved towards Ganja”.
Cruelty and brutality of our enemies do not meet the norms of morality and humanity. We should not forget families burnt alive in Gazakh, burnt planes and helicopters in the sky of Garabag, our murdered brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, our countrymen murdered in Khojaly and many others. These memories should always cause our hatred toward enemies.
Our enemies will not be able to escape our revenge for that genocide. We should have revenge for each burnt village, each destroyed city and each murdered baby. We should try to do our best in this way.
Azeri genocide
(right Shamil during 1830’s)
When Peter the Great occupied Derbent in 1722 and defeated the Safavid dynasty, it was the beginning of the end for Kumuk independence. Some autonomy was retained until 1859, when the Russians finally crushed the Shamil rebellion, and permanently brought the various ethnic groups of Dagestan under Russian sovereignty. The Kumuk Shamkhalat was formally ended in 1867. The Shamil rebellion also produced a division among the Kumuks, as the northern Kumuks fought against the Russians, the central Kumuks sided with the Russians, while the southern Kumuks remained neutral.
