A Turkish Governor Takes Action to Save the Lives of Armenians

Many Armenian survivors describe the heroic acts of Turks, some of whom were in positions of power, who tried to save their lives. Several witnesses recorded the efforts of a Turkish governor, Ali Suad Bey, to save the lives of Armenians who had been deported and placed under his supervision in Deir-ez-Zor, a desert province in present-day Syria where an infamous concentration camp of the same name was located.

Until Turkish officials replaced him in early 1916, Ali Suad Bey provided housing and hospital care to Armenians who had survived forced marches into his province and protected them from attack with his own private police force. He helped Armenians find work in the local area, and he fed and sheltered as many as 1,000 orphaned Armenian children in his own home. When Turkish authorities sent him a telegram in early 1916 ordering him to stop aiding Armenians, he replied, “If the purpose in which you are insisting is to massacre them, I cannot do it and nor will I allow others to do so.” ¹

An American eyewitness believed that Ali Suad Bey's example makes it clear that, "even if one is prepared for a moment to admit a reason of state for the mass-deportation of the Armenians . . . it was surely not necessary for the Turkish authorities to betray basic humanity." He recalled:

A few months ago, 30,000 Armenians in various camps outside of town were encamped under the protection of the governor, Mutessarif Ali Suad Bey. . . . I would like to remember this man's name, who has heart, and to whom the deportees are grateful, for he tried to lighten their miseries. . . . The ”guilty” Ali Suad Bey was sent to Baghdad and replaced by Zekki Bey who is well known for his cruelty and barbarism. ²

In early 1916, Turkish authorities replaced Ali Suad Bey with Zekki Bey, a new governor “known for his cruelty and barbarism.” ³

Discussion Questions

1. Who in this reading was in the position to act in response to the crimes being committed against Armenians?
2. What could this person or group have done in order to stop or prevent acts of violence against Armenians? What options for action might have been available to them?
3. Why might their decision about how to respond have been difficult to make? What dilemmas did they face?
4. What did the person or group ultimately do?
5. Why do you think they made this choice?

• 1Moumdjian, Garabet K., "Ottoman Official Resistance to Central Authorities' Decisions Regarding the Deportation and Killing of Armenians in the Southern Theater of War (4th Army Corps Zone)," Academia.edu, n.d.
• 2Dickran H. Boyajian, Armenia: The Case for a Forgotten Genocide (Westwood, NJ: Educational Book Crafters, 1972), 123.
• 3Boyajian, 123.