Mehmed Kemâl Bey

Mehmed Kemâl Bey (March 1, 1884 – April 10, 1919) was an Ottoman administrative officer and teacher. He was later court-martialed and executed for his role in the Armenian genocide. According to one witness, Kemal had "made a vow on the honor of the Prophet: I shall not leave a single Armenian alive in the sanjak of Yozgat."[1] Kemal's execution made him the first person to be tried and legally executed for their complicity in a genocide.[2]

Mehmed Kemâl Bey
Born(1884-03-01)March 1, 1884
Beirut, Lebanon
DiedApril 10, 1919(1919-04-10) (aged 35)
Beyazıt Square, Allied-occupied Istanbul, Turkey
Cause of deathExecution by hanging
Known forBecoming the person to be tried and legally executed for their complicity in a genocide
Criminal statusExecuted
Conviction(s)Premeditated mass murder
Robbery
TrialOttoman Special Military Tribunal
Criminal penaltyDeath

Early life and education

Kemâl was born on March 1, 1884, in Beirut to a family originating in Larissa (Thessaly). He was educated in Antalya and Izmir where he studied at the modern-day Ankara University.

Career

In 1909, he concluded his studies and became a kaymakam (provincial governor). In the 1915, he became the governor of Boğazlıyan province. He opposed the occupation of Istanbul and refused to obey Mehmed VI's orders.

Trial and execution

In 1919, Kemâl was tried for war crimes by a military court at the Istanbul trials and sentenced to death.[3] During the trial, he maintained that he was innocent and followed the orders he was given.[4] On April 10, 1919, Kemâl was publicly hanged in Beyazıt Square in Istanbul.

Aftermath

On October 10, 1922, Kemâl was declared a "National Martyr" (Ottoman Turkish şehid-i millî, Turkish Millî Şehit) by the Grand National Assembly. In 1926, the Turkish State gifted his family two properties confiscated during the Armenian deportations. In 1973 his grave was renovated and Kemâl was given the title of "Martyr of the Nation". His grave was declared a memorial.[5]

References
  1. "ExecutedToday.com » 1919: Mehmed Kemal, for the Armenian genocide". Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  2. "ExecutedToday.com » 1919: Mehmed Kemal, for the Armenian genocide". Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  3. "Turks Hang Kemal Bey for Armenian Massacres". The New York Times. 14 April 1919.
  4. "The Execution of Mehmet Kemal Bey, kaymakam of Boğazlıyan". ANI Armenian Research Center. 14 March 2015.
  5. "Kaymakam Mehmed Kemal kimdir? Ne zaman ve neden idam edildi? İşte biyografisi". Karar. 14 April 2021. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021.


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