Temporary Law of Deportation
The Temporary Law of Deportation, also known as the Tehcir Law (Turkish pronunciation: [tehˈd͡ʒiɾ]; lit. 'deportation' in Ottoman Turkish), or officially by the Republic of Turkey, the "Sevk ve İskân Kanunu" (Relocation and Resettlement Law)[1] was a law passed by the Ottoman Council of Ministers on May 27, of 1915 authorizing the deportation of the Ottoman Empire's Armenian population. The resettlement campaign resulted in the deaths of anywhere between 800,000 and over 1,500,000 civilians, in what is commonly referred to as the Armenian genocide. The bill was officially enacted on June 1, 1915, and expired on February 8, 1916.
Background[edit]
Before the Ottoman parliament implemented the "Tehcir Law", there was a circular by Talaat Pasha.[6] In the night of April 24, 1915, Talaat, who was the minister of interior at the time, ordered 250 Armenian intellectuals to be deported from Constantinople.[7]
In May 1915, Mehmed Talaat Pasha requested that the Ottoman Cabinet and the then Grand Vizier Said Halim Pasha legalize a measure for relocation and settlement of the Armenians to other places. Talaat's words were "the Armenian riots and massacres, which had arisen in a number of places in the country are a threat to national security."[8]
The nature of the law[edit]
Tehcir Law was officially a "temporary" law that expired on February 8, 1916. It was a civil law, planned, implemented and enforced with an office (created by the law) to coordinate the activities under the name of "Migrant General Directorate" (Ottoman Turkish: Muhacirin Müdüriyet-i Umumîyesi). The civil law gave the military an enforcing power only if there were parties opposing the implementation. The rules and regulations of the law, as published in the Takvim-i Vekayi (Ottoman official newspaper), were public and they were shared with all the political parties.
Repeal of the law[edit]
The law was repealed on February 21, 1916,[24] with an order sent to all Ottoman provinces, while the destruction of the Armenian population continued. Claimed political detainees continued to be displaced to the Der Zor province.[25] All the activities finalized on March 15, 1916.[26]