mashrou3-ummi:At night we heard shooting. Rounds fired from rifles. There were gendarmes in the stre

mashrou3-ummi:At night we heard shooting. Rounds fired from rifles. There were gendarmes in the streets, signalling with their whistles. At night, the whistling got louder. We all woke up and could hear how they entered Armenian homes. It was organized groups, the “Fire and Thunder” gangs. They attacked rich families or families with good-looking daughters. They abducted the girls, stole the valuables and murdered the parents and the authorities did nothing. I used to sleep in my mother’s arms. I woke up and she wasn’t in bed. I am frightened. Bang, bang, bang go the rifles. I look out the window and see mum with three or four other people. I run to mum and I am standing there among the women. My mother said: “What are you doing here? Go back to bed!” I got even more frightened and went back to bed. I could still hear the rifle fire. The women said: “No! They’ve got Santukhd.” “Oh no!” the women wailed. They took the girl and their money. Santukhd was a beautiful girl. Yes, they took away the girls- to rape them or do whatever they wanted with them. They turned my Armenian hometown into one giant brothel. Our homes were turned into whorehouses. One prostitute, living in our block, had a dog. The dog was always pawing at our door. Up until 1937, when I had to leave. all the Turks still had Armenian girls in their homes. They picked the good-lookers, from the deportation centers, for their brides. I often can’t sleep at night. I remember my childhood. I don’t sleep. I try not to think about it, but it’s impossible not to. I just can’t forget. It’s impossible. I cannot forget Mum. They took my mother. They killed my father. I told you how they deceived my father and then killed him. I grew up an orphan. Thank god we have Armenia. God was merciful. Testimony of Maria Vartanyan, a 100+ year-old survivor of the Armenian Genocide, in the film Grandma’s Tattoos -- source link

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