Topal Osman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Feridunzade Osman 1883 |
| Died | April 2, 1923 (aged 39–40) |
| Cause of death | Execution by shooting |
| Years active | 1912-1923 |
| Known for | Militia leader, volunteer army commander, Mustafa Kemal's personal guard, perpetrator of the Greek and Armenian genocides, assassin of Ali Şükrü Bey |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | Ottoman Empire, Ankara Government |
| Service | Kuva-yi Milliye, Turkish Land Forces |
| Years of service | 1912-1923 |
| Rank | Militia lieutenant colonel |
| Unit | 47th Regiment |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Turkish Medal of Independence |
Hacı Topal Osman[a] Ağa (1883 – 2 April 1923) also known as Osman the Lame, was a Turkish officer, a militia leader of the National Forces, a volunteer regiment commander of the Turkish army during the Turkish War of Independence who eventually rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel, and was a perpetrator of the Armenian and Pontic genocides.[1][2][3][4] Except the Greeks and Armenians, he also terrorised local Muslim population who opposed him.[5]
He was the commander of Mustafa Kemal's special Bodyguard Regiment. He showed usefulness in the War of Independence, but in 1923, when it was decided that he was the instigator of Trabzon Deputy Ali Şükrü Bey's murder, he was detained. He was captured and injured during clashes with military police, but he was killed by İsmail Hakkı Tekçe.[6]
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ "Ağa, Topal Osman". Violence de masse et Résistance (in French). Sciences Po. 9 December 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
He participated in the massacres of Armenians...
- ^ Akçam, Tener (2007). A Shameful Act: The Armenian Genocide and the Question of Turkish Responsibility. Picador. p. 342. ISBN 9781466832121.
Topal Osman was sought for his role in the Armenian genocide in the Trabzon area. Not only had he been a central figure in the deportation and massacres, but he had greatly enriched himself as a result.
- ^ Shirinian, George (2017). "Background to the Late Ottoman Genocides". Genocide in the Ottoman Empire: Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks, 1913-1923. Berghahn Books. p. 55. ISBN 9781785334337.
...deadly bands of çetes (organized brigands), especially those led by Topal Osman, had been engaged in continuous shooting, plundering, and raping of the defenseless Greek villagers in the Pontus region. With Kemal's support, they stepped up their campaign with the objective of clearing the Greeks from the region by massacring the Greek population in cities such as Trebizond, Amasya, Pafra, Merzifon, and many others.
- ^ Mango, Andrew (2002). Ataturk: The Biography of the Founder of Modern Turkey. Overlook Press. ISBN 9781590209240.
...Lame Osman, a sadistic ethnic cleanser of Armenians and Greeks...
- ^ Dinç, Enis (2020). Atatürk on Screen: Documentary Film and the Making of a Leader. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9780755602032.
...Lame Osman, repeatedly exceeded his orders to terrorize the Greeks and the Armenian communities, but also the local Muslim population, who tried to oppose him.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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