ARMENIAN GENOCIDE – Karikin Bedrossian

Anyone who has seen Karikin Bedrossian hard at work either raking his lawn or going through his garage wouldn’t know that Mr. Bedrossian is a rarity. At 95 years old, he is a witness of the Armenian Genocide, a member of a group that is rapidly shrinking, because he is an eyewitness of a tragedy that occurred over 85 years ago. Armenia was part of the Turkish Empire when the genocide occurred around 1913. Mr. Bedrossian has lived in the United States for many decades, and still knows the story of how he came to America like the back of his hand. He is a part of history that is almost forgotten and actually denied by the Turkish government today. Many people in the world do not know of this incident, but the few that have lived through it have felt the pain and sorrow of seeing their friends, family and fellow Armenians die.   

During the Armenian Genocide I lived in Refugee camps in Adena. Where my mother’s brother, my uncle, that was living there, took us to Jerusalem. Before this we were in Tarsus, where my mother was a cook in the American college, St. Paul’s. At the time we were in school. I recess time I used to take the dough to her and during the lunch hour I would go and pick up the bread, and bring it back to school, this was all done during school. From there my mother and the whole family finished the school to go to Syria and then when my uncle was finished from his army business, we met him in Jerusalem. Up until 1956.

My father, he was refugee in Paler. A Turkish general got the word that he was a Jeweler. And he wanted something, and the officer came and told him, you will make a handle for my stick, while they ride on the horse they use that stick. My father said with pleasure I would make it for you, only I haven’t got the materials. After forcing, talking for a long time he said I’ll show you, um then my father sail okay that’s enough, I am telling you that I don’t have it, he said I’ll show you, and my father said you don’t show me nothing, only you can kill, but that’s it. One, or two days latter the officer sends a Muslim “Mola,” a priest. He said come, there is an engagement, can you take the measurements for a ring and make one? My father asks him, look who sent you? And he answers no body, (he is lying). My father told him are you sure you are talking the right things. Who sent you? Nobody. If you lie that’s not good for you because you are a reverend and you preach good things in the Masjet (the church) but you are not telling the truth. My father lived with my brother and a, teacher were in one room they used to live eat, drink, work and everything in that room. So he took the priest measurements for the ring. Before that they followed the Mola to the compound were the officer was there. Before the officer said, if I see you near my compound you will go to prison. Then he told the guard to put him in prison. Then my brother goes, (oh, I didn’t tell you the first time, I made a mistake.) My brother then goes around looking for his dad, have you seen such and such person. He asks other refugees and no body knows. Then he comes back to the room where they lived. The teacher said look for your father at the compound. He goes to the compound and asks for his dad but the officer says put him in prison. Then at the middle of the night they tied my brother and my father back to back so tight that they can’t move, they put sacks on their heads and threw them into the Tigris River, that Tigris River goes somewhere, they can’t breath so they pass away. After two days they write in the paper, somebody writes, must be the officer. “Armenians Kill Armenians.” Then the teacher goes back to Maser France where he told some of his students. When those Armenians that were saved come back to America, I found them and they said the same story. We were in the school, when we finished and came out, my uncle sent us to Jerusalem. Through Lebanon. My uncle from my dad’s side, who was finished from the war. This was 1915 or 1916, at the end of World War I.

The Turkish people today seem that they are decent, now we don’t know but they are not admitting, because they deny that they kill. They went out like it never happened. The Turks also killed many of the Armenian people because it was an order. Always the Turks were enemies of Christians, and being known as weak people that were slaves, they wanted to control them. Syrian people were decent; they accepted all of the Armenians. Before they go they would help them. When the Turks would take us they would rob us, what ever we had we left. They made us walk in the dessert and who ever couldn’t travel or walk anymore they left them there to die and they carried on. My family and I, we took the route through Lebanon around to Palestine, or makes no difference, you could say Palestine, To Jerusalem.

I personally think the Armenian genocide should be remembered because every nation has their past, who they were, what they did. It doesn’t make a difference, America, England, France, Turkey, Greece. The Armenian people that were sent through the Sahara Dessert, the generals would just say walk, and anyone who apposed got killed. At the time of this incident the leader was Atatork. The amount of Armenian people that died was million and a half, and our possessions, oh what were we going to take! They came inside with guns and forced everyone out. When my mother got the news that my father and brother died, my mother didn’t say a word for days, she was very broken, and the whole family was feeling bad. The genocide was a terrible time, where many people felt a lot a pain.

  Interviewed by Edmond Petrossian