The different Armenian groups and parties, who were tired of the violent poltics and massacres of Sultan Abdul Hamid, ran to help Turkish revolutionist groups called Young Turks. The Young Turks had instituted a committee called Committee of Union and Progress ((Ittihad ve Tarakki Cemiyet)) and in this way, they fought against Sultan Abdul Hamid. |
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At last, in the year 1908, by performing a coup d'etat the Young Turks forced the Sultan to accept the institution of the national Parliament and thus they assumed the head of affairs. At that time, Turk and Armenian, Christian and Muslim, attempted hand in hand to use this opportunity which had been found after 30 years of the rule of Sultan Abdul Hamid, to create an equitable state in which there were no racial distinctions.
The next year, 1909, Sultan countered with an anti-revolution and succeeded for some while, but not much later, Young Turks assumed power again and this time Sultan Abdul Hamid was deposed forever.
When Armenians thought all their misfortunes and the periods of fear and fright, were finished by the deposing Sultan Abdul Hamid, but suddenly once again, in the same year, 1909, the face of violence and crime appeared to Armenians. This time the city of massacre was Adana (Cilicia); about 30,000 of Armenians of that city were slaughtered. It seemed that racial and religious fanaticism of Turks against Armenians had no end. The manner in which the massacres were carried out was eerily reminiscent of that of previous massacres ... Shooting, burning, raping Armenian women, the regular Turkish army cooperating with the felons and plunderers. Then at the end, as before, no one was tried and punished for their heinous crimes . |