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The Tehcir Law was a law of the Ottoman Empire setting the rules and conditions of the tehcir (forced relocations)^[1]^[2]. The law was passed by the parliament on May 27 1915 and came into force on June 1 1915, with publication in Takvim-i Vekayi, the official gazette of the Ottoman State. The temporary law expired on February 8 1916. Tehcir law was an important law which defined the regulation for the settlement of Armenians relocated to other places because of war conditions and emergency political requirements, as it is under the scrutiny of the Armenian Revolt.

The background of the law

Before the Ottoman parliament implemented the Tehcir Law, there was a circular by Talat Pasha^[3].

The nature of the law

Tehcir Law was a temporary law that expired on February 8, 1916. It was a civil law, planned, implemented and enforced with an office (created by the law) to coordinate the activities under the name of “Migrant General Directorate” (Turkish: Göçmen Genel Müdürlüğü). The civil law gave the military an enforcing power only if there were opposing parties to the implementation. The rules and regulations of the law, as published in the Takvim-i Vekayi (Ottoman official newspaper), were public and they were shared with all parties (including the USA).

The question of the law

Tehcir Law in fact was a four part law: (1) the military measures against those opposing government orders, country’s defense, and the protection of peace; and against those organizing armed attacks and resistance, and killing rebels during aggression and uprising in wartime, (2) the transfer and resettlement on a single basis or en masse, the people living in villages and towns who are found to be engaged in espionage or treason, (3) the temporary law’s effect and expiration, and (4) the definition of the responsible parties (application).

The subject of the law

The law was a copy of a general law (a template) that had been used before for Ottoman citizens of Muslim, Greek and Armenian origin who were subjected to immigrate from their own place and resettle elsewhere. Even though in some sources this law was being directed against one particular ethnic group (Armenian), this is a lack of information, as the text of the law does not name a community ("Ottoman Millet" was the base of the law makers world view, not the current national form of Armenians, see: Millet (Ottoman Empire)) that was mentioned nor even suggested. ^[4]. However, by the numbers of dislocated citizens by the abolishment of the law, the Armenian millet was undeniably the affected section.

From the text of the law or the following orders, the law makers’ intention did not specifically target any group. Also, (1) the ill, (2) the blind (3) Catholics (4) Protestants (5) the soldiers and their families, (6) the officers, (7) merchants, some workers and masters were not subject to migration ^[5]. If the conditions get worse, this group is ordered to be settled in the city centers ^[6].

Capitulations of the Ottoman Empire granted missionaries a protectorate state (see:Protectorate of missions). There is a group of rules that grand rights to missionaries under the Ottoman Empire. There is also another decipher which orders the Catholic Armenian Missionaries do not have the leave the Ottoman Empire until the next order.^[7] This decipher was not respected in some centers, such as Maraş and Konya ^[8].

Rights of subject of the law

The intention of the law is a temporary movement of the citizens and not permanent displacement, as the fourth section of the law was specifically designed to hold the enforcer units responsible to follow up and record the properties owned by the subjects of the immigration. Consequently, on 10 June 1915 ^[9], there was another law which was passed to regulate the enforcement of this section. In this section, it was demanded that there would be three copies of this information; one which will be kept in the regional churches, one in the regional administration, and one to be kept by the commission responsible for the execution of the law. The second and third parties of this law were held responsible for the protection of the properties until the immigrants' return ^[10].

The debts of the immigrants were completely canceled, and recurring tax debts (they own land) of the Armenians were postponed until they returned back ^[11].

The financial burden of the law

A fund was initiated with the law. The control of the fund was assigned to director Şükrü Bey, a directorate under the immigrants general office (Immigrant and Tribe Settling). From the documents:

Budget for the Tehcir June 1-1915 to February 8-1916
İzmit province	150.000 kurus
Eskişehir	200.000 kurus
Ankara province,	300.000 kurus
Konya province	400.000 kurus
Adana province,	300.000 kurus
Halep province	300.000 kurus
Musul province	500.000 kurus
Suriye province	100.000 kurus
Total	2.250.000 kurus

Also, the Ottoman government under the international agreements assigned within the capitulations, enabled fund transfers using the missionaries and consuls. Armenian immigrants from the United States sent funds, which were distributed to the Armenians under the knowledge of the government by these institutions ^[12]. The American Near East Relief Committee, a relief organization for refugees in the Middle East, helped donate over $102 million to Armenians both during and after the war.^[13]

It has to be noted that the funds within the provinces aided the immigrants, whose money allocations were sent under provincial budgets depending on the condition of needs.

The application of the law

The law was a selective law as explained under "The subject of the law". The list covers the citizens of the Ottoman Empire that were affected by the law.

The citizens effected under the law ^[14]^[15]
Province	Transferred	not transferred
Adana	14.000	15-16.000
Ankara (Central)	21.236	733
Aydın	250
Birecik	1.200
Diyarbakır	20.000
Dörtyol	9.000
Erzurum	5.500
Eskişehir	7.000
Giresun	328
Görele	250
Halep	26.064
Haymana	60
İzmir	256
İzmit	58.000
Kaleaçık	257
Karahisarı sahib	5.769	2222
Kayseri	45.036	4.911
Keskin	1.169
Kırşehir	747
Konya	1.900
Kütahya	1.400
Mamuretülaziz	51.000	4.000
Maraş	8.845
Nallıhan	479
Ordu	36
Perşembe	390
Sivas	136.084	6.055
Sungurlu	576
Sürmene	290
Tirebolu	45
Trabzon	3.400
Ulubey	30
Yozgat	10.916
TOTAL	422.758	32.766

Abolishment of the law

The law was abolished on February 21, 1916,^[16] with an order sent to all Ottoman provinces. However detainees of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation continued to be displaced to Der Zor province.^[17] All the activities finalized on March 15, 1916.^[18]

References

^ "Tehcir Kanunu". Takvîm-i Vekâyi (in Ottoman Turkish). 18 Receb 1333/19 Mayıs 1331 (June 1, 1915), 7th year, nr. 2189. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link).
^ Bayur, Yusuf Hikmet (1991). Türk İnkılâbı Tarihi, III-III (History of the Turkish Revolution, Vol. III Part 3), page 30 (in Turkish). Ankara: Türk Tarih Kurumu Basımevi. ISBN 975-16-0330-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
^ Archive code BOA. DH. ŞFR, nr.52/96,97,98
^ Yıldırım, Dr. Hüsamettin, Ermeni Iddiaları ve Gerçekler Armenian Claims and Realities- Ankara 2000, p. 21
^ Coding Office, no 56/27; no 67/186
^ Coding Office, no 56/27; no 67/186
^ BOA. DH. SFR, nr. 54/55 archive, which stats: Ermeni Katolik misyonerlerle sörlerin simdilik orada kalmalari daha münâsibdir
^ see for example BOA. DH. SFR, nr. 58/2 for Konya or BOA. DH. SFR, nr.63/157 for Marash,
^ ATBD, December 1982, ibid., no:81, document 1832
^ ATBD, December 1982, ibid., no:81, document 1832
^ Coding Office, no 54-A/268
^ Coding Office, no 60/178
^ Goldberg, Andrew. The Armenian Genocide. Two Cats Productions, 2006
^ Halacoglu, Prof. Dr. Yusuf, Facts Relating to the Armenian Relocation (1915), TTK Publication, Ankara, 2001.
^ DH, EUM. 2nd Branch, File 1, document 38, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 46, 47, 51, 55, 64, 152, 185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190, 191, 194, 200, 206
^ Coding Office, no 57/273; no 58/124; no 58/161; no 59/123; no 60/190
^ Coding Office, no 61/72
^ Coding Office, no 62/21

[1] "Tehcir Kanunu". Takvîm-i Vekâyi (in Ottoman Turkish). 18 Receb 1333/19 Mayıs 1331 (June 1, 1915), 7th year, nr. 2189. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link).

[2] Bayur, Yusuf Hikmet (1991). Türk İnkılâbı Tarihi, III-III (History of the Turkish Revolution, Vol. III Part 3), page 30 (in Turkish). Ankara: Türk Tarih Kurumu Basımevi. ISBN 975-16-0330-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)

[3] Archive code BOA. DH. ŞFR, nr.52/96,97,98

[4] Yıldırım, Dr. Hüsamettin, Ermeni Iddiaları ve Gerçekler Armenian Claims and Realities- Ankara 2000, p. 21

[5] Coding Office, no 56/27; no 67/186

[6] Coding Office, no 56/27; no 67/186

[7] BOA. DH. SFR, nr. 54/55 archive, which stats: Ermeni Katolik misyonerlerle sörlerin simdilik orada kalmalari daha münâsibdir

[8] see for example BOA. DH. SFR, nr. 58/2 for Konya or BOA. DH. SFR, nr.63/157 for Marash,

[9] ATBD, December 1982, ibid., no:81, document 1832

[10] ATBD, December 1982, ibid., no:81, document 1832

[11] Coding Office, no 54-A/268

[12] Coding Office, no 60/178

[13] Goldberg, Andrew. The Armenian Genocide. Two Cats Productions, 2006

[14] Halacoglu, Prof. Dr. Yusuf, Facts Relating to the Armenian Relocation (1915), TTK Publication, Ankara, 2001.

[15] DH, EUM. 2nd Branch, File 1, document 38, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 46, 47, 51, 55, 64, 152, 185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190, 191, 194, 200, 206

[16] Coding Office, no 57/273; no 58/124; no 58/161; no 59/123; no 60/190

[17] Coding Office, no 61/72

[18] Coding Office, no 62/21

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-{{totally disputed}}
 [[Image:Ottoman-Tehcir Law.jpg|280px|thumb|The Tehcir Law]]
-The '''Tehcir Law''' was a law of the [[Ottoman Empire]] setting the rules and conditions of the ''[[tehcir]]'' ([[forced relocation]]s)<ref>{{cite news | title= Tehcir Kanunu | work= Takvîm-i Vekâyi | date= 18 Receb 1333/19 Mayıs 1331 ([[June 1]], [[1915]]), 7th year, nr. 2189 | language= [[Ottoman Turkish]]}}.</ref><ref>{{cite book | last = Bayur | first= Yusuf Hikmet | title= Türk İnkılâbı Tarihi'', III-III (History of the Turkish Revolution, Vol. III Part 3), page 30'' | year= 1991 | publisher= Türk Tarih Kurumu Basımevi | location= Ankara | language= [[Turkish language|Turkish]] | isbn= 975-16-0330-7}}</ref>. The law was passed by the parliament on [[May 27]] [[1915]] and came into force on [[June 1]] [[1915]], with publication in ''Takvim-i Vekayi'', the official gazette of the Ottoman State. The temporary law expired on [[February 8]] [[1916]]. Tehcir law was an important law which defined the regulation for the settlement of Armenians relocated to other places because of war conditions and emergency political requirements, as it is under the scrutiny of the [[Armenian Genocide]].
+The '''Tehcir Law''' was a law of the [[Ottoman Empire]] setting the rules and conditions of the ''[[tehcir]]'' ([[forced relocation]]s)<ref>{{cite news | title= Tehcir Kanunu | work= Takvîm-i Vekâyi | date= 18 Receb 1333/19 Mayıs 1331 ([[June 1]], [[1915]]), 7th year, nr. 2189 | language= [[Ottoman Turkish]]}}.</ref><ref>{{cite book | last = Bayur | first= Yusuf Hikmet | title= Türk İnkılâbı Tarihi'', III-III (History of the Turkish Revolution, Vol. III Part 3), page 30'' | year= 1991 | publisher= Türk Tarih Kurumu Basımevi | location= Ankara | language= [[Turkish language|Turkish]] | isbn= 975-16-0330-7}}</ref>. The law was passed by the parliament on [[May 27]] [[1915]] and came into force on [[June 1]] [[1915]], with publication in ''Takvim-i Vekayi'', the official gazette of the Ottoman State. The temporary law expired on [[February 8]] [[1916]]. Tehcir law was an important law which defined the regulation for the settlement of Armenians relocated to other places because of war conditions and emergency political requirements, as it is under the scrutiny of the [[Armenian rebellions in the Ottoman Empire|Armenian Revolt]].
 == The background of the law==