Dersim Massacre
Encyclopedia
The Dersim Massacre took place in 1937 and 1938 in Dersim, now called Tunceli Province
, in Turkey
. It was the outcome of a Turkish military campaign against the Dersim Rebellion
by local ethnic minority groups against Turkey's Resettlement Law of 1934. Thousands of Alevi
and Zaza
Kurds died and many others were internally displaced due to the conflict.
The killings have been condemned by some as an ethnocide or genocide
and defended by others as a legitimate military act. On 23 November 2011, Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
gave an apology for the massacre, describing it as "one of the most tragic events of our recent history".
, previously known as Dersim and populated by Alevi
and Zaza
people. This area had a reputation for being rebellious, having been the scene of eleven separate periods of armed conflict over the previous 40 years.
Following public meetings in January 1937, a letter of protest against the law was written to be sent to the local governor. According to Kurdish sources, the emissaries of the letter were arrested and executed. In May, a group of local people ambushed a police convoy in response, the first act of a localised conflict.
Around 25,000 troops were deployed to quell the rebellion. This task was substantially completed by the summer and the leaders of the rebellion, including tribal leader Sayiid Riza
, were hanged. However, remnants of the rebel forces continued to resist and the number of troops in the region was doubled. The methods used by the army were brutal, including the mass killing of civilians, the razing of homes and the deportation of people from less hostile areas. The area was also bombed from the air. The rebels continued to resist until the region was pacified in October 1938.
A 2008 conference organised by Kurdish PEN
reached the conclusion that Turkey was guilty of genocide, estimating that 50,000–80,000 were killed in the aftermath of the Dersim rebellion.
. A prominent proponent of this view is the academic İsmail Beşikçi
. Under international laws, it has been argued, the actions of the Turkish authorities were not genocide, because they were not aimed at the extermination of a people, but at resettlement and suppression. Scholars, such as Martin van Bruinessen
, have instead talked of an ethnocide directed against the local language and identity.
In March 2011, a Turkish court ruled that the actions of the Turkish government in Dersim could not be considered genocide according to the law because they were not directed systematically against an ethnic group.
apologised on behalf of the state for the Dersim massacre during a televised meeting of his party in Ankara. His comments were pointedly directed at opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu
(himself an Alevi). Erdogan reminded his audience that Kılıçdaroğlu's party, the CHP
, had been in power at the time of the massacre, then the only political party in Turkey. He described the massacre as "one of the most tragic events of our near history" saying that, whilst some sought to justify it as a legitimate response to events on the ground, it was in reality "an operation which was planned step by step".
There was speculation in the Turkish press that Erdoğan's apology might be a prelude to apologies for other events in Turkish history, and that his comments may have been intended to defend against allegations of hypocrisy in his criticism of human rights abuses by Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad
.
Tunceli Province
The Tunceli Province is a province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. The province was named Dersim Province and was changed to Tunceli Province on January 4, 1936. with the "Law on Administration of the Tunceli Province" , no...
, in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. It was the outcome of a Turkish military campaign against the Dersim Rebellion
Dersim Rebellion
The Dersim rebellion was an uprising against the Turkish government in the Dersim region of eastern Turkey, which includes Tunceli Province, Elazığ Province, and Bingöl Province...
by local ethnic minority groups against Turkey's Resettlement Law of 1934. Thousands of Alevi
Alevi
The Alevi are a religious and cultural community, primarily in Turkey, constituting probably more than 15 million people....
and Zaza
Zaza people
The Zazas, Kird, Kirmanc or Dimilis are an ethnic Iranic people whose native language is Zazaki spoken in eastern Anatolia. They primarily live in the eastern Anatolian provinces, such as Adıyaman, Aksaray, Batman, Bingöl, Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Erzurum, Erzincan , Gumushane, Kars, Malatya, Mus,...
Kurds died and many others were internally displaced due to the conflict.
The killings have been condemned by some as an ethnocide or genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
and defended by others as a legitimate military act. On 23 November 2011, Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been Prime Minister of Turkey since 2003 and is chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party , which holds a majority of the seats in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Erdoğan served as Mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998. He graduated in 1981 from Marmara...
gave an apology for the massacre, describing it as "one of the most tragic events of our recent history".
Rebellion in Dersim
In 1934, Turkey passed a Resettlement Law, aimed at assimilating ethnic minority communities within the country. Its measures included the forced relocation of people within the country, with the aim of promoting cultural homogeneity. In 1935, the Tunceli Law was passed to apply the Resettlement Law to the newly-named region of TunceliTunceli Province
The Tunceli Province is a province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. The province was named Dersim Province and was changed to Tunceli Province on January 4, 1936. with the "Law on Administration of the Tunceli Province" , no...
, previously known as Dersim and populated by Alevi
Alevi
The Alevi are a religious and cultural community, primarily in Turkey, constituting probably more than 15 million people....
and Zaza
Zaza people
The Zazas, Kird, Kirmanc or Dimilis are an ethnic Iranic people whose native language is Zazaki spoken in eastern Anatolia. They primarily live in the eastern Anatolian provinces, such as Adıyaman, Aksaray, Batman, Bingöl, Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Erzurum, Erzincan , Gumushane, Kars, Malatya, Mus,...
people. This area had a reputation for being rebellious, having been the scene of eleven separate periods of armed conflict over the previous 40 years.
Following public meetings in January 1937, a letter of protest against the law was written to be sent to the local governor. According to Kurdish sources, the emissaries of the letter were arrested and executed. In May, a group of local people ambushed a police convoy in response, the first act of a localised conflict.
Around 25,000 troops were deployed to quell the rebellion. This task was substantially completed by the summer and the leaders of the rebellion, including tribal leader Sayiid Riza
Seyid Riza
Seyid Rıza , was born in 1863 in Lirtik, a village in Dersim...
, were hanged. However, remnants of the rebel forces continued to resist and the number of troops in the region was doubled. The methods used by the army were brutal, including the mass killing of civilians, the razing of homes and the deportation of people from less hostile areas. The area was also bombed from the air. The rebels continued to resist until the region was pacified in October 1938.
Numbers killed
The contemporary British estimate of the number of deaths was 40,000, although historians suggest that this figure may be exaggerated. It has been suggested that the total number of deaths may be 7,594, over 10,000, or over 13,000. Around 3,000 people were forcibly deported from Dersim.A 2008 conference organised by Kurdish PEN
Kurdish PEN
Kurdish PEN or The Kurdish Centre of the International PEN is a branch of International PEN. It was suggested by Kurdish writer Hüseyin Erdem and voted into existence during International PEN's conference in Cambridge in 1988...
reached the conclusion that Turkey was guilty of genocide, estimating that 50,000–80,000 were killed in the aftermath of the Dersim rebellion.
Genocide controversy
Many Kurds and some ethnic Turks consider the events that took place in Dersim to constitute genocideGenocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
. A prominent proponent of this view is the academic İsmail Beşikçi
Ismail Besikçi
İsmail Beşikçi is a Turkish scholar. He is a PEN Honorary Member. He has served 17 years in prison on propaganda charges stemming from his writings about the Kurdish population in Turkey....
. Under international laws, it has been argued, the actions of the Turkish authorities were not genocide, because they were not aimed at the extermination of a people, but at resettlement and suppression. Scholars, such as Martin van Bruinessen
Martin van Bruinessen
Martin van Bruinessen is a Dutch anthropologist and author, who has published a number of publications on Kurdish, Indonesian, Turkish, Persian, Zazas matters, and also on aspects of Islam as a whole....
, have instead talked of an ethnocide directed against the local language and identity.
In March 2011, a Turkish court ruled that the actions of the Turkish government in Dersim could not be considered genocide according to the law because they were not directed systematically against an ethnic group.
Government apology
On 23 November 2011, Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip ErdoğanRecep Tayyip Erdogan
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been Prime Minister of Turkey since 2003 and is chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party , which holds a majority of the seats in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Erdoğan served as Mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998. He graduated in 1981 from Marmara...
apologised on behalf of the state for the Dersim massacre during a televised meeting of his party in Ankara. His comments were pointedly directed at opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu
Kemal Kiliçdaroglu
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu is a Turkish social democrat politician. He is currently leader of the Republican People's Party and Leader of the Main Opposition in Turkey. He has been the Member of Parliament for İstanbul since 2002....
(himself an Alevi). Erdogan reminded his audience that Kılıçdaroğlu's party, the CHP
Republican People's Party (Turkey)
The Republican People's Party is a centre-left Kemalist political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party of Turkey and is currently Main Opposition in the Grand National Assembly. The Republican People's Party describes itself as "a modern social-democratic party, which is faithful to...
, had been in power at the time of the massacre, then the only political party in Turkey. He described the massacre as "one of the most tragic events of our near history" saying that, whilst some sought to justify it as a legitimate response to events on the ground, it was in reality "an operation which was planned step by step".
There was speculation in the Turkish press that Erdoğan's apology might be a prelude to apologies for other events in Turkish history, and that his comments may have been intended to defend against allegations of hypocrisy in his criticism of human rights abuses by Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad
Bashar al-Assad
Bashar al-Assad is the President of Syria and Regional Secretary of the Ba'ath Party. His father Hafez al-Assad ruled Syria for 29 years until his death in 2000. Al-Assad was elected in 2000, re-elected in 2007, unopposed each time.- Early Life :...
.