1894 Sason Revolt According to the Reports of the Investigation Committee

Abstract

The Sason/Talori uprising in 1894 caused a lot of trouble and disturbance both inside and outside the country. Under the pretext of this uprising, The European countries increased their pressure and they caught the opportunity to interfere in the affairs of the Ottoman Empire. As a matter of fact, in order to investigate the uprising, a mixed commission was made up of both native and foreign members. This commission was called the "Committee of Investigation." The main subject of this essay is the Sason rebellion according to the report of the Committee of Investigation. The native members of the Committee of Investigation constantly kept in touch with the Ottoman administration. This members informed the Ottoman administration about the events day by day, and when necessary, they asked what their policy was as far as those events were concerned; that is to say, the Committee of Investigation didn't act freely from the administration in Istanbul. In the same way, English, French and Russian members in the Committee of Investigation were always in contact with their embassles in Istanbul, and they also asked about their views and wishes to make the Committee of Investigation accept. With the help of ambassadors the foreign members forced the administration of the Ottoman Empire to accept the opinions which they couldn't make the Committee of Investigation accept. In the reports of the Committee of Investigation, it is possible to witness the power games of foreign countries over the Ottoman Empire. The Sason/Talori Armenian rebellion in 1894 has been seen as a means of this power game; that is, the Armenian problem has remained behind the race of power games, and interference in the home affairs of the Ottoman Empire. The Committee of Investigation's report didn't have any negative result that foreign countries had expected. In fact, in the report, the Armenians themselves were found guilty of the uprising. They couldn't find any fault with the government's delay in taking precautions and the harsh treatment of the soldiers while suppressing the revolt. However, the same report caused the Ottoman Empire to be hurled into the lap of European diplomacy.