Murad of Sebasteia

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Murat from Sivas

Murad of Sebasteia ( Armenian Սեբաստացի Մուրատ Sebastazi Murad , Turkish Sivaslı Murat ; also Murad Chrimjan or Murad Akopjan ; * 1874 in the village of Govdun, Vilayet Sivas , Ottoman Empire ; † August 4, 1918 in Baku , Azerbaijan ) was an Armenian fedajin at the time of Genocide of the Armenians and hero of the Armenian National Liberation Movement in the Ottoman Empire .

Life

He was born into a rural family near the town of Sivas (formerly Sebasteia) (hence his name Sebastazi ). During his childhood he was a shepherd. In his youth he moved to Istanbul , where he worked as a porter. There he first joined the Huntschak Party , then the Armenian Revolutionary Federation .

In 1890 he took part in the Kumkapı demonstration against the treatment of Armenians as second-class citizens. He later also joined Fedayeen units and participated in guerrilla activities in response to the massacres of the Armenians from 1894–1896. He had a leading role in Sasun - Uprising in 1904 held. Then he started operating in Van as well. During the Armenian-Tatar War 1905–1907 he was appointed leader of the defense of Sangesur : by gathering a group of 50 horsemen, he defended the Armenian population of Kapan from massacres. After the Young Turkish Revolution of 1908, Murad worked in Van and Sivas. In particular, he participated in the organization of a network of schools, charities and women's associations, and taught physical culture and theater arts in Armenian schools.

At the beginning of the Ottoman genocide against the Armenians in 1915, Murat and his comrades were in Sivas. When the deportations were ordered , gendarmes were sent out to capture Murat. Ottoman authorities promised the local Armenians that they would be spared the deportations if they extradited Murat. Many Armenians, especially older people, who did not want to give up their property and home, began to inform the Ottoman authorities about his accommodation. Murad defended himself with his compatriots for a year and a half. In 1916 he moved to Samsun and traveled by sailing boat to the Russian port of Batumi . He led volunteer organizations in the Battle of Erzincan . On August 4, 1918, he died fighting in the Battle of Baku .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Guenter Lewy: The Armenian massacres in Ottoman Turkey: a disputed genocide . University of Utah Press, Nov. 21, 2005, p. 31.
  2. ↑ a b c Karekin Pastermadjian , Aram Torossian, "Why Armenia Should be Free: Armenia's Rôle in the Present War" page 22
personal data
SURNAME Murad of Sebasteia
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Sebastazi Murad; Սեբաստացի Մուրադ (Armenian)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Armenian fedajin
DATE OF BIRTH 1874
PLACE OF BIRTH Govdun, Vilayet Sivas
DATE OF DEATH August 4, 1918
Place of death Baku, Azerbaijan