THE RISE AND FALL OF ASALA AND ARMENIAN REVOLUTIONARY FEDERATION TERRORISM

Between 1973 and 1988, Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) and Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) waged a campaign of violence against Turkey and its citizens. These terrorist organizations killed approximately 90 individuals and wounded hundreds more through a combination of attacks that spanned North America, Europe, the Middle East and the south Pacific and targeted ethnic Turks, assets of the Turkish government, and Turkish business interests. By the early 1980s, these two organizations earned reputations as the most dangerous, savage and mysterious terrorist groups in existence. Armenian terrorism, however had virtually no chance of reaching its publicly stated goals. ASALA and the ARF demanded acknowledgement of the Armenian genocide; reparations for the families of the victims; and possession of eastern Anatolia. Contrary to their aims, the Turkish government was not going to revise their history, and the prospect of violating the territorial sovereignty of the Turkish Republic was inconceivable. Yet, Armenian terrorism thrived for over a decade before abruptly fading away in the second half of the 1980s. Making use of the primary documents now available, this work will analyze the reasons why ASALA and the ARF took up arms in 1975, how they sustained themselves, and why they suddenly disappeared. It will argue that Armenian terrorism was the end result of a policy of aggressive nationalism based on anti-Turkishness that was introduced in 1959 and used for short-term and local political gains. Recognizing the success of this new policy, the ARF continued to promote anti-Turkishness throughout 1960s and early 1970s. After witnessing the positive response to the increasing violence and the emergence of favorable international conditions, the ARF embraced violence as means to obtain their ultimate political goal: eastern Anatolia. At the very same time, three Armenian intellectuals and a young Armenian terrorist with experience in various Palestinian organizations were creating a new terrorist organization of their own, ASALA. ASALA and the ARF/JCAG operated for over a decade, and were able to sustain themselves because of the steadfast support of the Armenian diaspora for a terrorist campaign that killed Turks. The campaigns finally ended after the violence not only became an end in itself, but had turned the two groups against each other in an inter-group struggle that decimated their ranks.

(ASALA VE EDF TERÖRİZMİNİN ORTAYA ÇIKIŞI VE ÇÖKÜŞÜ)

1973 ile 1988 seneleri arasında, ASALA ve Ermeni Devrimci Federasyonu (EDF) Türkiye ve vatandaşlarına karşı bir şiddet kampanyası sürdürmüştür. Bu terör örgütleri gerçekleştirdikleri saldırılarla Kuzey Amerika, Avrupa, Orta Doğu ve güney Pasifiki kapsayacak şekilde- yaklaşık olarak 90 kişiyi öldürmüş ve daha yüzlercesini de yaralamış ve etnik Türkleri, Türk hükümetinin mallarını ve Türk işyerlerini hedef almıştır. 1980lerin başına gelindiğinde, bu iki örgüt var olan en tehlikeli, vahşi ve gizemli terör örgütü olma unvanını elde etmiştir. Ancak Ermeni terörünün alenen beyan ettiği hedefleri ulaşmasının neredeyse imkânsızdı. ASALA ve EDF sözde Ermeni soykırımın tanınmasını, mağdurların ailelerine tazminat ödenmesini ve doğu Anadoluya sahip olmayı talep ediyordu. Hedeflerinin aksine, Türk hükümetinin tarihini gözden geçirmeye niyeti yoktu ve Türkiye Cumhuriyetinin toprak bütünlüğünün ihlal edilmesi düşünülemezdi bile. Ancak Ermeni terörizmi, 10 seneden fazla bir süre içerisinde kuvvetlenerek varlığını devam etmiş, 1980lerin ikinci yarısında sonra ise ansızın sönüp gitmiştir. Artık erişilebilir olan birincil kaynak niteliğindeki belgeler sayesinde bu makale; ASALA ve EDFnin 1975de neden silahlandıklarını, varlıklarını nasıl sürdürdüklerini ve bir andan neden ortadan kaybolduklarını inceleyecektir. Makale; Ermeni terörizminin 1959da ortaya atılan, Türk karşıtlığı üzerine kurulu olan, bir saldırgan milliyetçilik politikasının sonucu olduğunu ve kısa dönemli ve yerer siyasi kazanımlar için kullanıldığını belirtecektir. Bu yeni politikanın başarısının farkına varan EDF, 1960lar ve 1970leirn başı boyunca Türk karşıtlığını teşvik etmeye devam etmiştir. Artan şiddete yönelik olumlu tepkilere ve uygun uluslararası koşulların ortaya çıkışına tanıklık eden EDF, esas siyasi hedefleri olan doğu Anadoluyu elde etmek için şiddeti bir araç olarak benimsemiştir. Aynı sıralarda ise, üç Ermeni entelektüeli ve bir takım Filistin örgütlerinde tecrübe elde etmiş olan genç bir Ermeni terörist, kendileri için ASALA adında yeni bir terör örgütü kuruyorlardı. ASALA ve EDF/JCAG, 10 seneden uzun bir süre faaliyet gösterdiler ve Ermeni diasporasının Türkleri öldüren bir terör kampanyasına olan sebatkâr desteği sayesinde varlıklarını sürdürebildiler. Bu terör kampanyası; uygulanan şiddet bir araçtan amaca dönüştüğünde ve iki grubun birbirine düşman hale geldiği ve mensuplarının karşılıklı olarak yok edilmesine sebep olan bir gruplar arası çatışma sonucunda son buldu.

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ISSN: 1303-5304
Yayın Aralığı: Yılda 2 Sayı
Başlangıç: 2002
Yayıncı: Terazi Yayıncılık Basım Dağıtım Danışmanlık Eğitim Organizasyon Matbaacılık Kırtasiye Tic. Ltd. Şti.