A report from a REAL "1915" Western eyewitness! Followed by background on the article, and a report on whether Sweden has recognized the Armenians' genocide. ADDENDUM, 12-06: Thanks to the research of Dr. Mete Soyturk, who made possible the images on this page, we have new information on the Swedish officer (whose full name was Gustav Hjalmar Pravitz; the initials "H. J.," as originally provided on this page, were in error. The "first" name was really "HJ," which must be an abbreviation, Swedish-style). Pravitz actually went on to author a 1918 book which partly delved on the topic, entitled ”Från Persien i stiltje och storm.” What were these Swedes doing in the neighborhood, anyway? As Dr. Soyturk explains, Iran was looking to improve its gendarmerie and police operations, and military personnel from Sweden (numbering fifty-four at its height) were invited and stayed between 1911 and 1924. Sympathetic to Germany, these personnel gave the Central Powers a hand from time to time (mainly in matters of sabotage), and thus some found themselves in the Ottoman Empire from 1916 on.

The situation of the Armenians: By one who was among them

By Hj Pravitz, Nya Dagligt Allehanda, 23 April, 1917

Hj Pravitz takes a deeper look at the statements that had previously been made by Mrs. Marika Stjernstedt, in Nya Dagligt Allehanda, a Swedish Newspaper published in the period 1859-1944.

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"…Recently returned home from abroad I have right now – i.e. somewhat late – had the opportunity to look at two Swedish booklets on the Armenian issue. "Sven Hedin — adelsman" [Sven Hedin — a nobility], by Ossiannilsson and "Armeniernas fruktansvärda läge" [the terrible situation of the Armenians], by Marika Stjernstedt. The former book went immediately in the waste basket. In all its poorly hidden appreciation of the title character, it annoyed me more than a main article in Dagens Nyheter. The latter, which seemed spirited by the compassion for the suffering Armenians, I have read repeatedly, and it is really this and its inaccuracies that my article is about.

I dare to claim, that hardly any other Swede has had the opportunity like me, to thoroughly and closely study the misery among the Armenians, since I now for about a month have traveled right among all the emigrating poor people. And this, during the right time, fall 1915, during which the alleged brutalities, according to both writers, were particularly bad.

I want to hope, that what I am describing below, which are my own experiences, will have the purpose to remove the impression of inhumanity and barbarity from the Turkish and German side, which is easily induced by the reading of the two booklets mentioned above.

If I understand the contents of the books correctly, both writers want to burden the Turks as well as the Germans with deliberate assaults or even cruelties.

Hj Pravitz

My position as an imbedded eyewitness gives me the right and duty to protest against such claims, and the following, based on my experiences, will support and strengthen this protest.

Despite the fact that I was and am such a pronounced friend of Germany and its allies, which is consistent with the position of a servant of a neutral country, I started my journey from Konstantinopel (Istanbul) through the Asian Turkey, with a certain prejudiced point of view, partly received from American travelers, about the persecution of the Armenians by their Turkish masters. My Lord, which misery I would see, and to which cruelties I would be a witness! And although my long service in the Orient has not convinced me that the Armenians, despite their Christianity, are any of God’s best children, I decided to keep my eyes open to see for myself to which extent the rumors about Turkish assaults are true and the nameless victims were telling the truth.

I sure got to view misery, but planned cruelties? Absolutely nothing.

This is precisely why it has appeared to me to be necessary to speak up.

To start with, it is unavoidable to state, that a transfer of the unreliable Armenian elements from the northern parts of the Ottoman Empire to the south was done by the Turkish government due to compulsory reasons.

It should have been particularly important to remove, from the Erzeroum district, all these settlers, who only waited for a Russian invasion to join the invading army against the hated local legal authority. When Erzeroum fell in February 1916, an Armenian, with whom I just shared Russian imprisonment, uttered something I interpreted as 'It would have fallen way earlier if we had been allowed to stay.' That a country like Turkey, threatened and attacked by powerful external enemies, is trying to secure itself against cunning internal enemies, no one should be able to blame her.

I think it points to a misconception when one claims that the Armenians are living under the uninterrupted distress of some sort of Turkish slavery. There are peoples that have it worse. Or what about Indian Kulis and Bengalis under British rule, and the Persian nationalists in Azerbaijan under the Russians' — "penétration pacificue", and the Negroes in Belgian Congo, and the Indians in the Kautschuk district in French Guyana. All these, not to mention many others, seem to me, are victimized to a higher degree and more permanently than the Armenians. I guess technically, one can say that a longer lasting but milder persecution is less bearable to endure than a bloody but quick act of despotism, as in (Ottoman) assaults of the kind that from time to time put Europe's attention on the Armenian issue. Apart from these periodical so-called massacres, the reason of which could to a large degree be ascribed to the Armenians themselves, I do think that the (Armenians) are treated reasonably well.

The (Armenians) have their own religion, their own language, both in speaking and writing, their own schools etc.

As far as the much discussed major Armenian migration is concerned, I am the first to agree that the attempts of the Turkish side to reduce the difficulties of the refugees left a lot to be desired. But I emphasize again, in the name of fairness, that considering the difficult situation in which Turkey, as the target of attack from three powerful enemies, was in and it was, in my opinion, almost impossible for the Turks, under these circumstances, to have been able to keep up an orderly assistance activity.

I have seen these poor refugees, or "emigrants", to use Tanin’s words, seen them closely. I have seen them in the trains in Anatolia, in oxen wagons in Konia and elsewhere, by foot in uncountable numbers up in the Taurus mountains, in camps in Tarsus and Adana, in Aleppo, in Deir-el-Zor and Ana.

I have seen dying and dead along the roads — but among hundreds of thousands there must, of course, occur casualties. I have seen childrens' corpses, shredded to pieces by jackals, and pitiful individuals stretch their bony arms with piercing screams of "ekmek" (bread).

But I have never seen direct Turkish assaults against the ones hit by destiny. A single time I saw a Turkish gendarme in passing hit a couple of slow moving people with his whip; but similar things have happened to me in Russia, without me complaining, not then, nor later.

In Konia, there lived a French woman, Madame Soulié, with family and an Italian maid. They lived there, despite the war, and the Turks did them no harm. And as far as the Germans stationed in the town are concerned, she called them 'our angels.' 'They give all they have to the Armenians!.' Such evidence of German readiness to sacrifice I established everywhere the Germans were.

In Aleppo, I lived by the Armenian Báron, the owner of a large hotel. He did not tell me about any Turkish cruelties, although we talked a lot about the situation of his fellow citizens. We also talked about Djemal Pasha, who would come the day after and with whom I would meet. Báron expressed himself very positively about this man, who by the way, least of all seemed like an executioner.

In Aleppo, I hired an Armenian servant, who then during a couple of months was my daily company. Not a word has he told me about Turkish cruelties, neither in Aleppo nor in his home town of Marash or elsewhere. I must unconditionally believe in exaggerations from Mrs. Stjernstedt’s side and I do not put one bit of confidence in the Armenian authorities she claims to refer to.

On page 44, Mrs. Stjernstedt writes about (the town of) Meskene and an Armenian doctor Turoyan. I was in Meskene right when he was supposed to have been there. I looked carefully around everywhere for historical landmarks, since Alexander the great crossed the Euphrates (river) here, and the old testament also talks about this place. There was not a sign of Armenian graves and not of any Armenians either, except for my just mentioned servant. I consider Mr. Turayan’s evidence very questionable, and I even dare to doubt that this man, if he exists, was ever there during the mentioned time. If the conditions in Meskene really were as he claims, will anyone then believe that the suspicious Turks would have sent an Armenian up there with a "mission from the government"?

For fourteen days, I followed the Euphrates; it is completely out of the question that I during this time would not have seen at least some of the Armenian corpses that, according to Mrs. Stjernstedt’s statements, should have drifted along the river en masse at that time. A travel companion of mine, Dr. Schacht, was also travelling along the river. He also had nothing to tell when we later met in Baghdad.

In summary, I think that Mrs. Stjernstedt, somewhat uncritically, has accepted the hair-raising stories from more or less biased sources, which formed the basis for her lecture.

By this, I do not want to deny the bad situation for the Armenians, which probably can motivate the collection initialized by Mrs. Stjernstedt.

But I do want to, as far as it can be considered to be within the powers of an eyewitness, deny that the regular Turkish gendarme forces, who supervised the transports, are guilty of any cruelties.

Later on, in a different format, I want to impartially and neutrally like now treat the Armenian issue, but at the moment, may the adduced be enough.

Rättvik, April 1917

HJ Pravitz.

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The Swedish text may be accessed on this very page if you click here.

NYA DAGLIGT ALLEHANDA
Mandagen den 23 April 1917

Armeniärnas läge
Af en som varit ibland dem.
En svensk officer skärskådar fru Marika Stjematedts uppgifter.

Nyligen hemkommen utifrau har jag just nu - alltså något. sent- satts i tilfälle att taga del af två svenska broschyrer i armenierfrågan, Ossiannilssons ” Sven Hedin-adelsman” och Marika Stjernstedts ”Armeniernas fruktansvärda läge”.

Den förstnäninda boken giek bums i paperskorgen. I all dess illa dolda afund mot figuranten å titelbladet retade den mig mer än en ledare i Dagens Nyheter. Den antrag som tykes vara genomandad af verklig medkänsla för de lidande armenierna, har jagläst igenom upprepade gånger, och det är egentligen den och dess felaktigheter, mitt inlägg afser.

Jag vågar påstå, att knappast någon annan svensk haft tillfälle såsom jag att ingående och på nära håll studera armeniereländet, enär jag i ungefär en manads tid färdats midt ibland alla de emigrerande stackarna, och detta just under den tid, senhösten 1915, som de påstådda brutaliteterna enligt de båda författarna voro särskildt avåra.

Jag vill hoppas, att hvad jag här nedan efter egna iakttagelser meddelar, skall vara ägnadt att förtaga de intryck af omänsklighet coh barbari frän turkars och tyskars sida, som gärna vilja tränga sig på vid läsningen af de båda arbetana.

Savidt jag fattat innehållet i böckerna rätt, vilja båda författarna påbörda turkarna och äfven tyskarna medvetna öfvergrepp eller rent af grymheter.

Min egenskap af ögonvittne ger mig rätt och plikt att protestera mot dylik trafik, och efterföljande, på upplefvelser stödda relation, skall stärka denna protest.

Trots det att jag varit och är en så utpräglad vän af Tyskland och dess bundsförvanter, som det med min ställning af ett neutralt lands tjänare är förenligt, startade jag dock min färd från Konstantinopel in öfver asiatiska Turkiet med en viss förutfattad, delvis af amerikanska resenärer bibragt, mening angående armeniernas förtryck från deras turkiska herrars sida. Gud, sådant elände jag skulle få skåda, och till hvilka grymheter jag skulle bli vittne! Och ehuru en lång tjänstgöring i Orienten icke bibragt mig den uppfattningen, att armeniern, trots sin kristendom, just äro några Guds barn, beslöt jag hålla ögonen öppna för att konstatera i hvad mån ryktena om turkiska öfvergrepp och om namnlöst elände talade sannig.

Nog fick jag skåda elände alltid, men af några planmässiga grymheter intet, absolut intet.

Det är just därför det har synts mig så nödvändigt att taga till orda.

Från början är det oundvikligt att fastslå, att en förflyttning af de opålitliga armeniska elementen från norra delen af det osmaniska väldet söderöfver var för turkiska regeringen betingad af tvingande skäl.

Särskildt viktig torde det hafva varit att från Erzeroumdistriktet aflägsna alla dessa armeniska bebyggare, somm endast väntade på en rysk invasion för att göra gemensam sak med invasionshären mot den hatade lagliga öfverheten. När Erzeorum in februari 1916 föll, yttrade till mig en armenier, med hvilken jag just delade rysk fångenskap, något, som jag tydde till: ” Det skulle ha fallit långt förut, om vi fått vara kvar”. Att ett land som Turkiet, hotadt och anfallet af mäktiga ytrre fiender, söker säkerställa sig mot lömska inre sådana, lärer väl ingen kunna klandra.

Jag tror det vittnar om vanföreställning, när man påstår, att armenierna lefva under det oafbrutna trycket af något slags turkiskt träldomsok. Det finnes folkslag, som ha det sämre ställdt. Eller hvad sägs om indiska kulis och bengaler under engelskt herradöme, och de persiska nationalisterna i Aserbeidjan under tyssarnas ”penétration pacifique”, och negrerna i belgiska Kongo och indianerna i kautschukdistrikten i franska Guyana! Alla dessa, andra att förtigs syuas mig i högre grad än armenierna vara offer för ett permanent tryck. I regel fr man väl anse, att ett beständigt, om ock en smula mildare, förtryck är ett folkslag odrägligare att uthärde än ett blodigt, men hastigt öfvergående utslag af despotism, eller just öfvergrepp af den art, som tid efter annan fäst Europas uppmärksamhet på den armeniska frågan. Fråsedt dessa periodiska s.k. massakrer, hvilkas orsak utan tvifel till stor del bör tillskrifvas armenierna själfva, tror jag nog, att dessa behandlas drägligt.

De hafva ju sin egen religion, sitt eget talspråk, sitt eget skriftspråk, sina egna skolor etc.

Hvad beträffar den nu omskrifna stora armeniska emigrationen, så är jag den förste att vidgå, att anstalterna från turkisk sida till minskande af flyktingarnas besvärligheter lämnade mycket öfrigt att önska. Men jag framhäller än en gång rättvisans intresse det svåra läge, i hvilket Turkiet, såsom tre mäktiga fienders anfallsobjeckt, befann sig, och jag anser det hart när omöjligt för turkarna att under sådana omständigheter ha kunnat uppräthåtla en ordnad hjälpverksamhet.

Jag har stt dessa stackars flyktingar eller ”emigranter”, för att tala med ”Tanins” ord, sett dem på nära håll.

Jag har sett dem på järnvägstågen i Anatolien, i oxvagnar i Konia och annorstädes, till fots i oräkneligs skaror uppe i Taurusbergen, i läger i Tarsus och Adana. I Aleppo, i Deir-el-Zor och Ana.

Jag har sett döende och döda längs vägarna – man bland hundrattusenden måste naturligvis dödsfall inträffe. Jag har sett barnlik sönderslitas af schakaler och ynkliga individer sträcka fram benrangelsarmar under skärande rop om ”ekmek” (bröd).

Men jag har aldrig sett direkta turkiska öfvergrepp mot de af ödet slagna. En enda gång såg jag en turkisk gendarm i förbifarten vispa till ett par efterliggaremed sin piska; men liknande har jag själf varit utsatt för i Ryssland, utan attknota, vare sig då eller senare.

I Konia bodde en fransyska, madame Soulié, med familj och en italiensk tjänarinna. De bodde där, trots kriget, och turkarna gjorde dem intet ondt. Och hvad de i staden stationerade tyskarna angår, så kallade, hon dem ” våra änglar”. ” De gifva allt hvad de hafva till armenierna!” Sådana bevis på tysk offervillighet konstaterade jag öfverallt, där tsykar vistades.

I Aleppo tog jag in hos armeniern Báron, ägare af ett stort hotell. Icke förtalde han mig om några turkiska grymheter, ehuru vi rätt mycket dryftade hans landsmäns belägenhet. Vi talade också om Djemal pascha, som skulle komma dagen efter och hos hvilken jag skulle ha företräde. Báron yttrade sig synnerligen berömmande om denne man, hvilken för resten minst af allt verkade bödel.

I Aleppo stadde jag en armenisk tjänare, som sedan under ett par månaders tid var mitt dagliga sällskap. Icke ett ord har han berättat mig om turkiska grymheter, vare sig i Aleppo eller i hans födelsestad Marrasch eller annorstädes. Jag måste ovillkorligen tro på öfverdrifter från fru Stjernstedts sagesmäns sida, och sätter icke ett dugg tillit till de af henne åberopade armeniska auktoriteterna.

Å sidan 44 t. ex. Talar fru S. om Meskene och en armenisk doktor Turoyan. Jag var i Meskene, just när denne skulle ha vistats där. Jag såg mig noga omkring öfverallt, effer historiska minnesmärken, ty Alexander den store gick här öfver. Eufrat, och gamla testamentet talar likaledes om platsen. Där fanns icke ett spår af några armenier heller, med undantag för min nyssnämnde betjänt. Jag anser hr Turayans vittnesmål synnerligen apokryfiskt, och vågar till och med betvifln, ens varit där på den angifna tiden. Om förhållandena i Meskene verkligen varit sådana, som han angifvit, vill då någgon på allvar tro, att de misstänksamma turkarna sändt dit en armenier med ” ett uppdrag af regeringen”?

I fjorton dagar följde jag Eufrat; det är alldeles otänkbart, att jag icke under denna tid skulle skådat åtminstone något af de armenierlik, som enligt fru Stjernstedts uppgifter, då skulle en masse ha drifvit utför floden. En min reskamrat, Oberstabsarzt dr. Schacht (Dr. Roland Schacht) färdades på själfva folden. Han hade heller intet sådant att förtälja, när vi i Bagdad träffades.

Allt som allt, jag tror, att fru Stjernstedts något okritiskt från mer eller mindre partiskt håll, hvilka bildat underlaget för hennes föredrag.

Härmed vill jag dock icke förneka armeniernas svåra läge, som nog kan motivera den af fru Stjernstedts igångsatta insamlingen.

Men jag will, såvidt det kan anses ligga inom ett ögonvittnes makt, absolut bestrida, att de reguljära turkiska gendarmeritrupper, som öfvervakade förflyttningarna, gjort sig skyldiga till några grymheter. Längre fram vill jag i annan form, helt opartiskt och neutralt såsom nu, behandla armenierfrågan, men för tillfället må det anförda vara nog.

Rättvik i april 1917
Hj Pravitz.

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 “Swedish Parliament corrects Its Earlier Decision; Says Genocide Did Not Happen”

By Serkan Demirtas, Cumhuriyet, 27 March 2002

(Cumhuriyet is a Turkish daily newspaper published since 1923 in Ankara, Turkey)

"... Swedish Parliament admitted that they made a mistake in the year 2000 by recognizing the AAG and basing their decision on the UN resolutions of similar recognition . They have since determined that the UN had never had such resolutions.

The Swedish Parliament declared that no pronouncements can be made on the alleged, pre-1948 genocide of Armenians, Assyrians, and Keldanis, and the issue should be left up to the historians. By resolving that the genocide convention of 1948 is not retroactive, the Swedish Parliament also gave support to the Turkish position.

The resolution was introduced by Murad Artin, an Armenian member of the Swedish Parliament, Foreign Relations Committee, who belongs to a leftist party. After deliberations, the committee offered the following recommendations to the general assembly:

· No official Swedish position has ever been formulated which recognizes the events during the Ottoman Empire as genocide;

· Our committee, during its deliberations of the resolution dated and numbered 1999/2000:U651, made a reference to a UN resolution in 1985, recognizing the treatment of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the 20th century as genocide. Later, it was determined that no such U.N. resolution was passed in 1985 or in any other year. Consequently, our committee should have never formulated their statement the way it did.

· Our committee is of the opinion that it is important to discuss these events openly. For this to happen, unconditional historical researches must be conducted.

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