TIM JUDAH READS THE TESTIMONY OF VACHAGAN PETROSIAN
April 7, 2015 10:02
EXCLUSIVE
Tim Judah
Photo: From T. Judah ‘s personal archive
Mediamax presents 100 Seconds project devoted to Armenian Genocide
Centennial. The project is based on testimonies of Genocide survivors
published by the National Archive of Armenia.
Tim Judah is a reporter and political analyst for The Economist,
and has written several books, mainly focusing on Serbia and Kosovo.
For 100 seconds project Tim Judah reads an extract from Armenian
Genocide survivor Vachagan Petrosian’s testimony.
National Archives of Armenia Collection of Documents
Testimony of survivor Vachagan Petrosian on the massacre of the
Armenian population of the town of Bitlis
When Jevet, the governor of Van, retreated and came to Bitlis (in
July) and saw Armenians there he said to the governor of Bitlis:
“So there are still Armenians here ?” He immediately ordered the
census papers to be brought in and based on that list gather all
males above the age of 15 and take them to the barracks. Then they
would move them out of barracks in groups, take them to Dukhanashen
where they would murder them and throw them into the water.
They took the others to the garden belonging to a wealthy Armenian from
Bitlis, tied them to each other, made them stand in line, shot them
and threw them into pits dug in advance (with many of the captives
not even wounded or lightly wounded). In this way they eliminated
the male population of Bitlis.
They selected the women and children they liked and converted them
to Islam. The remaining women and children were also taken in groups
to Sgherd, stripped on the bank of the river, murdered with daggers
and thrown into river. Most of the small boys were thrown into the
river alive.
Producers: Ara Tadevosyan
Filming: Rachel Judah Post Production: Tumo LLC
The source of Vachagan Petrosian’s testimony: National Archives of
Armenia, Armenian Genocide by Ottoman Turkey, 1915, Testimony of
survivors, Collection of documents, Yerevan-2013.
VivaCell-MTS is the general partner of 100 seconds project.
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