24/02/2015 22:06
Special Project. Survivors of Armenian Genocide. Andranik Khcheyan’s evidence about massacres in Alashkert region
Aysor.am is launching the third series of project “Armenian Genocide: Breaking the Silence.” Under the headline “Survivors” we will regularly present the testimonies of survivors of the 1915 Armenian massacres in the Ottoman Turkey.
Andranik Khcheyan, 10 years old, of the village of Alashkert
They had a rich household. The boy’s mother and brothers of his father were killed during the massacres in their village. He was freed and later went to Etchmiadzin from where the boy was sent to Tiflis orphanage of parish communities.
He does not remember particulars of the events and knows nothing about movements of troops, recruitment of Armenian soldiers, and other events.
“At the beginning of the winter (1914) Armenians of Gitkan and Mollaosman run towards our village. Musa Agha of Akhor, Avdl Machid of Chamean and our village resident Czech Osma along with their Kurds seized weapons by deceit and intimidation. Four or five people did not give their weapons. Fighting broke out on Mollaosman road, near Khanum spring, in which one Kurd was killed. Our folks fled into the mountains. We heard later that they froze to death there.
The Kurds captured the others and brought them into our village. At night the Kurds entered the houses and took men outside to execute them. Shots were fired from four directions. Everyone rushed outside. The place was besieged from all sides. Kurds came from other villages and close all the roads.
The women and children were captured and locked inside houses, while the men were massacred. Women and children of our village (Alashkert) were also massacred, but women and children from Gitkan and Mollaosman survived. I and my two brothers ran into the house of a Kurdish acquaintance. They gave refuge to us. My mother, father and all our relatives were murdered. We stayed there for a month. Every day Kurds would search the houses to find Armenians and kill them. Then the Russians came, caught villainous amiras of Akhor, received two flocks of sheep, and released them. We along with the other released people went to Etchmiadzin where we were registered as orphans and brought here''.
The project was prepared with the assistance of the Information and Analytical Center of the Armenian Government Staff.