Sarkis Minassian (1873 – 1915), also known as Aram Ashod, was an
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
journalist, writer, political activist, and educator. He became the chief editor of the newspaper ''
Hairenik'' in
Watertown, Massachusetts. After returning to the
Ottoman Empire in 1909, Minassian continued writing in various journals in the city. In 1915, Sarkis Minassian was killed during the
Armenian genocide.
Life
Sarkis Minassian was born in 1873 in the village of Çengiler, near
Yalova
Yalova is a market-gardening town located in northwestern Turkey on the eastern coast of the Sea of Marmara. The town has a population of 156,838, while the population of the surrounding Yalova Province is 291,001 . A largely modern town, it is ...
in northwestern
Anatolia.
He attained his early education in Bardizag (today Bahçecik, Kocaeli).
Thereafter, Minassian moved to
Constantinople to continue his education at the
Getronagan Armenian High School. After graduating from Getronagan in 1894, Minassian moved to
Geneva,
Switzerland where he became a staff member of the Armenian newspaper ''
Droshak'', the official organ of the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation ( hy, Հայ Յեղափոխական Դաշնակցութիւն, ՀՅԴ ( classical spelling), abbr. ARF or ARF-D) also known as Dashnaktsutyun (collectively referred to as Dashnaks for short), is an Armenian ...
.
In 1903, Minassian moved to the United States where he became the managing editor of the Armenian newspaper ''Hairenik''.
In 1905, he moved back to Geneva where he remained until 1909 when, after the
Young Turk Revolution
The Young Turk Revolution (July 1908) was a constitutionalist revolution in the Ottoman Empire. The Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), an organization of the Young Turks movement, forced Sultan Abdul Hamid II to restore the Ottoman Consti ...
, he moved back to
Constantinople.
While in Constantinople, Minassian briefly worked as a teacher and continued writing. He was then elected as a deputy of the
Armenian National Assembly
Armenian National Assembly was the governing body of the Armenian millet in the Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρα ...
representing the
Kasımpaşa district.
Minassian was a frequent contributor to the newspaper ''Azadamard'' where his criticisms of various aspects of the Armenian community were widely read.
He was known for his lectures concerning the Armenian language in various Armenian schools throughout Constantinople.
Fluent in French, Minassian planned to write a French-Armenian dictionary.
The dictionary was to introduce new words from both languages and was to provide dialectic terminology.
However, due to his early death, the dictionary was never published and was left in the possession of his mother who was living in Geneva at the time.
Minassian did, however, publish an extensive biography on the life of Armenian revolutionary
Serob Aghpur.
Death
Sarkis Minassian was one of the
Armenian leaders deported during the
Armenian genocide.
On the night of 24 April 1915, Minassian was arrested and sent via train to
Ayaş, a village located in the interior provinces of the Ottoman Empire. Confined in a prison at Ayaş, Minassian along with
Rupen Zartarian,
Karekin Khajag
Garegin Khazhak (also Karekin Khajag, hy, Գարեգին Խաժակ; 6 October 1867–1915) was an Armenian journalist, writer, political activist and educator. A member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, Khajag traveled around the worl ...
,
Khachatur Malumian
Khachatur Malumian ( hy, Խաչատուր Մալումյան), also known as Edgar Aknuni (''Aknouni or Agnouni''; hy, Էտկար Ակնունի) (1863 in Meghri, Russian Empire – 1915) was an Armenian journalist and political activist. ...
,
Harutiun Jangülian
Harutiun Jangülian ( hy, Յարութիւն Ճանկիւլեան; 1855 – 15 June 1915) was an Armenian historian, political activist, and member of the Armenian National Assembly. He was especially known for his involvement in the Kum Kapu demo ...
, and
Nazaret Daghavarian
Nazaret Daghavarian ( hy, Նազարեթ Տաղավարյան, Western Armenian: Նազարէթ Տաղաւարեան, tr, Nazaret Dağavaryan; 1862 in Sebastia, Western Armenia, Ottoman Empire – 1915) was an Ottoman Armenian doctor, agrono ...
were transferred to
Diyarbakir on 2 June. They were ostensibly to undergo a court-martial in
Diyarbakir.
However, Minassian along with the rest were murdered en route in the locality of Karacur between
Urfa
Urfa, officially known as Şanlıurfa () and in ancient times as Edessa, is a city in southeastern Turkey and the capital of Şanlıurfa Province. Urfa is situated on a plain about 80 km east of the Euphrates River. Its climate features ex ...
and Severek (today
Siverek
Siverek (from hy, Սեւավերակ, lit=black ruins, translit=Sevaverag, ku, Sêwreg) is a city and district in the south-east of Turkey, in Şanlıurfa Province. Population 107,634 (city); 247,000 (district) (2000 census). Siverek is in Şanl ...
). The order for the murder was given from Captain Şevket to Haci Onbaşı, a member of the
Special Organization.
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Minassian, Sarkis
1873 births
1915 deaths
Armenian nationalists
People who died in the Armenian genocide
People from Yalova
Armenians from the Ottoman Empire
Armenian journalists
Armenian educators
Armenian Revolutionary Federation politicians
Armenian male writers