Historical Records Reveal How Two Armenian Lawmakers Rejected a Chance to Escape Death in 1915

Photo Credit: Agos.com

Historical records preserved by Agos newspaper shed light on the final days of two prominent Armenian members of the Ottoman Parliament who were arrested and murdered during the Armenian Genocide in 1915.

The story of Krikor Zohrab, an influential lawyer, writer, and parliamentary deputy representing Istanbul, and Vartkes Serengülyan, a deputy from Erzurum, returned to public attention after former HDP lawmaker Garo Paylan called for a parliamentary investigation into the fate of the seven Armenian members of the Ottoman Parliament who were detained during the genocide.

Drawing on an article written by journalist Rober Koptaş in 2013, the archives recount how Zohrab and Serengülyan were arrested in Istanbul in late May 1915. Ottoman authorities told the two lawmakers they would be transferred to Diyarbakır to stand trial before a military court.

Their journey took them first to Aleppo, then part of the Ottoman Empire, where local officials and residents witnessed the growing humanitarian catastrophe unfolding as Armenian deportation convoys arrived from across Anatolia.

At the time, Aleppo had become one of the main destinations for Armenian deportees. Governor Celal Bey, remembered for his relatively humane treatment of Armenian refugees, sought to ease their suffering despite pressure from the central government. Armenian residents organized food distribution for starving deportees, while local Muslim landowners urged authorities to allow Armenians to settle and work on their lands. Those requests were repeatedly rejected as the Ottoman government's policy shifted from forced relocation toward systematic destruction.

While in Aleppo, Zohrab and Serengülyan were initially permitted to stay at the Baron Hotel under police supervision before moving to another hotel to avoid burdening the local Armenian community. Because of Zohrab's declining health, Governor Celal Bey later arranged for him to stay at a medical clinic.

Despite their detention, both men retained hope that their political connections in Istanbul could spare them. Zohrab believed senior Ottoman officials with whom he had maintained personal relationships would intervene on his behalf. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Talat Pasha reportedly monitored their movements closely and repeatedly pressured officials in Aleppo to continue their transfer toward Diyarbakır.

According to historical accounts, several individuals secretly warned the two deputies that they faced certain death if they continued their journey. Former Damascus deputy Şükrü al-Asali reportedly confirmed the assassination plans, while local physician Dr. Kilciyan and other supporters devised an escape plan that would have allowed the lawmakers to disappear into Arab villages, where tribal communities had pledged to protect anyone seeking refuge.

Zohrab and Serengülyan refused.

Convinced they would ultimately be acquitted if brought before a military court, and believing that an escape would only confirm accusations against them, the two parliamentarians rejected the rescue plan despite repeated warnings.

After leaving Aleppo, they traveled to Urfa before continuing toward Diyarbakır.

Their journey ended shortly afterward when their convoy was intercepted by Circassian Ahmet, a leader associated with the Ottoman Special Organization (Teşkilat-ı Mahsusa), a paramilitary network widely linked by historians to the implementation of the Armenian Genocide.

According to later testimony attributed to Circassian Ahmet, Serengülyan was shot with a Mauser rifle, while Zohrab was killed after suffering a fatal blow to the head with a stone.

The killings became one of the most well-known assassinations of Armenian political leaders during the genocide, symbolizing the systematic elimination of the Ottoman Empire's Armenian intellectual and political elite in 1915.

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