Special Organization (Ottoman Empire)

"Special Organization" was the name given to a three member executive committee of "Ministry of the Interior" established by the Committee of Union and Progress of the Ottoman Empire. It is speculated that the organization was planned and created after the mobilization of July 21, 1914 with the co-operation of the "ministry for the Interior" (initiation of deportation, Tehcir Law) and "ministry for the Justice" (former prisoners in the prison of Çorum). The chief Ittihadists, members of Committee of Union and Progress, who closely collaborated with at the time interior minister Mehmed Talat, the special organization organized and implementing the massacres.cite web
url= http://www.zoryaninstitute.org/Table_Of_Contents/genocide_docs_executions.htm
title= The Executions of Some of the Arch-perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide by the Ittihadists and Kemalists, 1915-1926
accessdate=2008-01-01
last= Dadrian
first=Vahakn N
authorlink=Vahakn Dadrian
publisher=Zoryan Institute]

Organizational structure

It has been speculated that the executive committee was in Constantinople and was formed by Doctor Nazim, Behaeddin Sakir, Atif Riza, and former Director of Public Security Aziz Bey which all or some can be part of this organization. In proving that this executive committee was working under the orders of Committee of Union and Progress, it was proposed that Midhat Sükrü was the connection.

From documentary perspective; its establishment or dismantling time, or even its existence is in question. Its full set of functions are unknown. The financial burden of this organization has not been established. There is no official document which can be validated from other sources, or linked to other official documents to prove its existence.

Activities

It has been suggested that this organization accepted the mission of liquidating or of decimating the convoys of Armenian deportees in precise places defined beforehand by the executive committee. The operational center was established in Erzeroum. The special organization had a specific mission set beyond the conditions of World War I. This information derives from the memoirs of the Armenian avengers who were assigned by the A.R.F. to carry out the executions with the Operation Nemesis.

Filibeli Hilmi was Dr. Behaeddin Shakir's right hand man, the chief of the Special Organization the Erzurum region. The deportation Erzurum province was supervised by him . Halis Turgut was the chief of a Special Organization in Sivas province. Ahmed Shükrü was wartime Minister of Education deported Armenian peasants.

References