ISTANBUL — The head of a journalists’ association in Turkey, has revealed that his mother was an Armenian, who was left “in front of an Alevi family’s door” by Armenians during the 1915 incidents in his recently published book, adding that his relatives had reacted strongly to this revelation, the Hurriyet Daily News reports.
Ahmet Abakay, a journalist and the head of the Contemporary Journalists’ Association, told his mother Hosana’s story in his book entitled “Hosana’s last words,” in which he said that he was told by his mother that she was an Armenian only weeks before she died.
Abakay said his mother Hosana told him her story, which she kept secret for her entire 82-year-long life, with one condition; that he should not tell it to anyone as long as she was alive.“My mother told me about her story 13 years ago and soon after, she died. I could write this only 10 years later, because I hesitated. I hardly wrote it, bursting into tears when writing all of the chapters and I was stuck. I did not imagine that it could get that sentimental for me to write it. My mother was left at some people’s door like an innocent kitten and that idea filled me with grief,” Abakay told the Hürriyet Daily News, adding that his mother was one of the Armenian babies left to the Turkish families, with fears for their lives due to the saddening 1915 incidents.
“My uncle’s children told me ‘how dare you call our aunt Armenian and insult our family’s honor. You will remove the Armenian part from your book, otherwise we will pull it off the shelves,’” said Abakay.
Abakay said his mother used to talk about one of her sisters left with Armenians in the past, but she had never talked about it in detail. Later on he learnt that she was from the southeastern province of Erzurum’s Askale district. “I want to research my identity but I doubt whether I can go any further. Now, I am content that I have received my identity back.”
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