11/03/2015 10:07
Special Project. Survivors of Armenian Genocide. Hovhannes Mkrtchyan’s testimony on the massacres in the village of Nkuznak
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.
The village was completely burned down.
Nkuzak’s all men aged between 22 and 45 were conscripted into the army on July 20, 2014. The houses of those soldiers who did not report for the draft on time were set on fire by the government, with their movable and immovable property being seized. During the draft, 2,000 measures of wheat and barley, 500 liters of oil, 800 sheep and oxen, 350 pairs of socks and 50 pieces of gold were forcibly collected from Nkuzak.
60 Nkuzak residents who were exempt from military service were forced to work on roads for five months, then taken to Basur where they were tied to each other and shot or stabbed to death (on August 15-20, 1915).
On April 7, 1915, Nkuzak was attacked by 500 Kurds led by Sleman Agha. The armed young men of the village could put up strong resistance without suffering losses. All the residents retreated to Mount Andoq where they fought the enemy. Only 14 people of Nkuzak survived the battle”.
The project was prepared with the assistance of the Information and Analytical Center of the Armenian Government Staff.