Genocide
The Oxford Dictionary defines genocide as: the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular nation or ethnic group.
WWI
When Turkey entered WWI in 1914, the Ottomans were given time to stop and reflect on a desperate Armenian people, living in fear for their lives. Men between the ages of twenty and forty-five were recruited by the army as labourers and executed not long after.
April 1915
With the arrival of April 1915, came the arrest of numerous Armenian political leaders, intellectuals and priests. Authorities deported them to central Iran where they soon met their fate at the hands of the Ottoman government.
The following month, the remanding population of women, children and elderly were informed of their relocation into the deserts of Mesopotamia. With no idea of a fate, pre-determined by the Ottomans they were soon shuffled off into the night sky with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Many died along the way from starvation and disease. Corpses of the dead were left to the elements and their deaths were never officially recognised. The final phase, if you like of this "relocation" was the systematic killing of all those who still remained. This involved beating with clubs, mass drowning and burning. Ottoman authorities were the instigators of course, however, local party leaders and hard-edged criminals later took control of executions.
WWI
When Turkey entered WWI in 1914, the Ottomans were given time to stop and reflect on a desperate Armenian people, living in fear for their lives. Men between the ages of twenty and forty-five were recruited by the army as labourers and executed not long after.
April 1915
With the arrival of April 1915, came the arrest of numerous Armenian political leaders, intellectuals and priests. Authorities deported them to central Iran where they soon met their fate at the hands of the Ottoman government.
The following month, the remanding population of women, children and elderly were informed of their relocation into the deserts of Mesopotamia. With no idea of a fate, pre-determined by the Ottomans they were soon shuffled off into the night sky with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Many died along the way from starvation and disease. Corpses of the dead were left to the elements and their deaths were never officially recognised. The final phase, if you like of this "relocation" was the systematic killing of all those who still remained. This involved beating with clubs, mass drowning and burning. Ottoman authorities were the instigators of course, however, local party leaders and hard-edged criminals later took control of executions.