Hasan Mazhar

Obelisk commemorating Hasan Mazhar in the Garden of the Righteous in Warsaw. The text translates to "Hasan Mazhar, governor of Ankara, who, despite the crimes of the authorities and society's approval of them, refused to participate in the genocide of Turkish Armenians (1915–1917)."

Hasan Mazhar, or Hasan Mazhar Bey, was a Young Turk governor of Ankara in the Ottoman Empire who refused to participate in the Armenian genocide in 1915, leading to his dismissal.

In 1918–1919, he led the Mazhar Commission, which investigated the Armenian genocide immediately after the war and whose findings initiated the Istanbul trials.

Biography Hasan Mazhar Bey served as the governor (vali) of Ankara starting from June 18, 1914. In May 1915, he opposed deportation orders issued by the Ministry of Interior, rejecting its genocidal rhetoric. He later said about this event:"I acted as if I did not understand the deportation orders I received from the Minister of Interior in Istanbul. As you know, other provinces had already completed their deportation operations, which I had not yet started. Then Atıf Bey arrived... He orally conveyed the order regarding the massacre and extermination of Armenians. I told him, 'No, Atıf Bey, I am the governor, I am not a bandit. I cannot do it. I will stand up from my [governor's] throne, and you can come and do it yourself."

Mazhar Commission On November 23, 1918, Sultan Mehmed VI established a government inquiry commission on the Armenian genocide, and Hasan Mazhar Bey was naturally appointed as its president, as he was one of the few Ottoman administrators who had not been involved in the massacres.

The documents and testimonies collected by Mazhar would be used to "support 130 investigation files." The complex political situation in the aftermath of World War I and the absence of the concept of genocide prior to the Holocaust may have hindered the commission. Despite the challenging political situation, Mazhar was not afraid of possible reprisals; he prohibited 26 Young Turk deputies from leaving the capital to prevent their escape and had 13 Ottoman ministers interrogated.

However, the contributions of the commission in terms of sources, transparency, and justice have been recognized by genocide historians. Furthermore, Mazhar sought to shed light on the mechanisms of genocide, even though they were not yet referred to by that name, demonstrating a keen sense of justice.

The Istanbul Trials The establishment of military courts to investigate the crimes of the Young Turks was a logical continuation of the work of the Mazhar Commission, and on December 16, 1918, the sultan officially created such tribunals. Three military courts and ten judicial bodies were established in the provinces.

Legacy On April 27, 2015, a stone was erected in the Garden of the Righteous in Warsaw to commemorate his person and a memorial tree was planted.