Resit Bey
Encyclopedia
Dr. Mehmed Reshid was the governor of the Diyarbakır vilayet
of the Ottoman Empire
during World War I
. He is known for his role in the Armenian Genocide
and the Assyrian Genocide
.
He was born to a Circassian
family in Russian Caucasia and migrated to Istanbul
with his family in 1874, where he enrolled in the Military School of Medicine and was one of the founders of the Committee of Union and Progress
.
Over the years he was increasingly radicalised and by 1914 he was convinced that Christians were to blame for the empire’s depressed economy.
He orchestrated the murders of Armenians
and Assyrians in Diyarbekir Vilayet after his ascend to governorship.
He have reportedly burned 800 Syric Christian children alive by himself after enclosing them in a building.
When asked by the CUP
leader Mithat Sukru Bleda how he as a doctor had had the heart to kill so many people he replied:
Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır is one of the largest cities in southeastern Turkey...
of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He is known for his role in the Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...
and the Assyrian Genocide
Assyrian genocide
The Assyrian Genocide refers to the mass slaughter of the Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac population of the Ottoman Empire during the 1890s, the First World War, and the period of 1922-1925...
.
He was born to a Circassian
Adyghe people
The Adyghe or Adygs , also often known as Circassians or Cherkess, are in origin a North Caucasian ethnic groupwho were displaced in the course of the Russian conquest of the Caucasus in the 19th century, especially after the Russian–Circassian War of 1862.Adyghe people mostly speak Adyghe and most...
family in Russian Caucasia and migrated to Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
with his family in 1874, where he enrolled in the Military School of Medicine and was one of the founders of the Committee of Union and Progress
Committee of Union and Progress
The Committee of Union and Progress began as a secret society established as the "Committee of Ottoman Union" in 1889 by the medical students İbrahim Temo, Abdullah Cevdet, İshak Sükuti and Ali Hüseyinzade...
.
Over the years he was increasingly radicalised and by 1914 he was convinced that Christians were to blame for the empire’s depressed economy.
He orchestrated the murders of Armenians
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
and Assyrians in Diyarbekir Vilayet after his ascend to governorship.
He have reportedly burned 800 Syric Christian children alive by himself after enclosing them in a building.
When asked by the CUP
Committee of Union and Progress
The Committee of Union and Progress began as a secret society established as the "Committee of Ottoman Union" in 1889 by the medical students İbrahim Temo, Abdullah Cevdet, İshak Sükuti and Ali Hüseyinzade...
leader Mithat Sukru Bleda how he as a doctor had had the heart to kill so many people he replied: