EXAMINATION OF GRAVES OF POSSIBLE VICTIMS OF GENOCIDE TO BE CARRIED OUT BY INTERNATIONAL EXPEDITION

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.02.2007 15:30 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Examination of mass graves discovered on October
of 2006 in Turkish district of Nusaybin will be carried out by an
international expedition. Swedish historian David Gaunt is sure that
the graves belongs to 270 Armenians and Assyrians, who were killed
by order of a Young Turks chieftain.

Turkish authorities have not carried out any investigation, journalists
were not allowed to approach the burial and obtain more information. In
this connection Hans Dinden, a deputy from Swedish leftist party,
has sent an interpellation to the Swedish parliament. In response
Turkish authorities, as usual, launch a counter-offensive. Chairman
of scientific-historical association Yusuf Haladjoghly offered to
carry out a joint excavation of graves.

Professor David Gaunt agreed with that offer, but demanded full
freedom during the process. He also wished to speak to those who
could know anything about the mass burial. In his part Haladjoghly
stated that if really occurs that Armenians and Assyrians are buried
in the graves he will publicly apologize, otherwise he expects the
same from professor Gaunt, ‘Yerkir Media’ TV Company reports.

Villagers from Xirabebaba were digging a grave for one of their
relatives when they came across to a cave full of skulls and bones. The
Xirabebaba residents assumed they had uncovered a mass grave of
300 Armenian villagers massacred during the Genocide of 1915. They
informed Akarsu Gendarmerie headquarters, the local military unit,
about the discovered remains.

Turkish army officers instructed the villagers to block the cave
entrance and make no mention of the remains buried in it. The officers
said an investigation would take place. Journalists, who had arrived
to obtain more information, were denied access to the cave. As the
mass burial made news, local Gendarmerie made another visit to the
villagers. The latter were pressed to report the name of the person
who leaked the mass burial discovery to the press. The villagers were
warned not to show anyone directions to the cave.

The victims of the mass grave, according to Sodertorn University
History Professor David Gaunt, are most likely the 150 Armenian and
120 Assyrian males from the nearby town of Dara (now Oguz) killed on
June 14, 1915.