6 Nov 1921: Reports Massacres of Greeks in Pontus, New York Times

nyt 0611921

REPORTS MASSACRES OF GREEKS IN PONTUS
Central Council Says They Attend Execution of
Prominent Natives for Alleged Rebellion.

The New York Times
Nov 6, 1921


  Alexander   Kehaya,  a  member   of  the
Kehaya   Trading    and    Finance   Corpor-
ation, with offices  at  60 Wall  Street, said
yesterday that the Greek residents of New
York  were  aroused   by   news   of  mas-
sacres  by  Turks   of  Greeks   in   Pontus.
He  made  public  a  letter  received  from
the Central Council  of  Pontus  at Athens
inclosing  a  list  of  prominent  Greeks  of
Samsoun,    Bafra    and    other   Pontian
cities  who  were  condemned  to  death
and  executed  at  Amasia   by   order  of
Mustapha  Kemal.
   "The   recent    news   regarding   the
Greeks   of   Pontus   has  terrorized us,"
Mr. Kehaya    said.   "We    learn     from
news   received   almost   daily  that the
Kemalist   Government  has  ordered  all
the male  element sent into  the interior
of  Asia  Minor,  where  their   fate is un-
known,  while  the  Greek  women   are
forced  into  harems. A letter addressed
to  a  friend  of  mine describes the  hor-
rible  fate  of these women.
   "Protests  against  these  horrors have
been sent to our Government  here, but
the reply has  been  that  since this Gov-
ernment   has  no  relations    with   the
Kemalist   Government,  it  finds itself un-
able to take any steps toward  lessening
or   halting   the  suffering  of  these un-
fortunate people, doomed as they are to
be  buried  alive  by  the most barbarous
and cruel people who ever lived.
   "The  Greeks   in    New York,  waving
aside   their  political   affiliations,  plan  a
mass  meeting in protest, at  which Con-
gressmen and Senators  will be invited to
speak.  We   Greeks  of  Pontus, as good
American citizens,  will  urge  the civilised
nations of  the world  to put  an  end to
these   horrible   massacres.  We  belong
neither to the Royalist Party  nor  to the
Liberal    Party,  although   all    Pontians
are   Liberals.  We   are   working   inde-
pendently  and  not  as  a political  party.
Thousands  are  being   killed  every day
women  and  girls  are   being   violated,
children    are    being   taken   into the
harems. I am well aware of  the fate of
the   Greeks   of   Ordou,   which is my
native country."
   The letter   from  the  Central Council
of Pontus,  which Mr. Kehaya made pub-
lic,   says   that   the   executions   were
carried out under the pretext  that  the
victims  were   "the  ringleaders   in  the
matter   of   the   Republic   of  Pontus,"
Among   those  executed   were: Theo-
charides  Demetrios,  Professor of Greek
at  the   American  College  of Marsovan
for  twenty-seven  years;  the  Rev.Pav-
lides  Paul,  a  Protestant   Minister    of
Marsovan;   Papamarius   George,    Pro-
fessor  of  Natural  Science in Bafra and
Samsun Greek schools;   the  Right Rev.
Yermanos   Karavangelis,    Metropolitan
of Samsoun and Amsaia, member of the
Holy   Synod  and   Greek   Patriarchate,
Constantinople; Arsoglou    Theoedoros,
members of the Imperal  Ottoman  Par-
liament, Constantinople,  and the  Right
Rev.   Efthimios  Silou,  Assistant Bishop
of Samsoun.


Source

 
Further Reading:
Black Book: The Tragedy of Pontus, 1914-1922
Feridunoğlu Osman Ağa (1883-1923)

Pontus
The Greek Genocide in American Naval War Diaries
The Samsun Deportations

 

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