Şükrü Kaya

Şükrü Kaya
Minister of Interior
In office
October 25, 1937  November 11, 1938
Prime Minister Celal Bayar
Succeeded by Refik Saydam
Minister of Interior
In office
November 1, 1927  October 25, 1937
Prime Minister İsmet İnönü
Preceded by Mehmet Cemil Uybadın
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
November 21, 1924  March 3, 1925
Prime Minister Ali Fethi Okyar
Preceded by İsmet İnönü
Succeeded by Tevfik Rüştü Aras
Minister of Agriculture
In office
August 31, 1924  October 21, 1924
Prime Minister Ismet Inönü
Preceded by Zekai Apaydın
Succeeded by Hasan Fehmi (Ataç)
Mayor and Governor of Izmir
In office
1922–1924
Personal details
Born 1883
Istanköy, Ottoman Empire
Died January 10, 1959(1959-01-10)
Istanbul, Turkey
Nationality Turkish
Alma mater Galatasaray High School, University of Paris
Profession Jurist
Signature

Şükrü Kaya (1883 January 10, 1959) was a civil servant and Turkish politician, who served as government minister, Minister of Interior and Minister of Foreign affairs in several governments. He is also considered to be one of the perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide.

Born on İstanköy (Kos), part of the Dodecanese in the then Ottoman Empire, he finished Galatasaray High School before he graduated from Law School in 1908. He did his graduate work in Paris, France. He worked as inspector of treasury for the Empire.

At the start of World War I, Şükrü was appointed the Director of the Settlement of Tribes and Migrants. The Director of the Settlement of Tribes and Migrants was mainly tasked with managing the Armenian deportations during the Armenian Genocide. In September 1915, he was transferred to Aleppo, an important location along the deportation route into the Syrian desert.[1]

As the Armenian Genocide was underway, Şükrü was tasked to administrate the concentration camps of Armenian deportees located in Syria. In order to manage the large influx of Armenians into the area, Şükrü started a policy that enforced a certain ratio of Armenians to be left untouched. However, once the Armenians exceeded this ratio, they were evacuated from their camps and subsequently massacred.[2] On 19 December 1915, Şükrü is noted to have said to German engineer Bastendorff the following:[2]

The final solution is the termination of the Armenian race. Clashes that have continued between Armenians and Muslims all along have now reached their final stage. The weaker side will be destroyed.

He was then assigned to Iraq but he resigned and moved to İzmir (also known as Smyrna).

He worked as a teacher in Buca Sultanisi (high school). After the Armistice of Mudros, he worked for the Turkish national movement. Following the occupation of Istanbul by The Entente powers, he was arrested by the British administration and was exiled to Malta. He escaped to the continent from Malta and subsequently went to Anatolia and joined the Turkish War of Independence.

Şükrü Kaya served as Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Interior Minister in several cabinets between 1924 and 1938.

He died on January 10, 1959, in İstanbul.

References

  1. Dündar, Fuat (2010). Crime of numbers the role of statistics in the Armenian question (1878-1918). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction. pp. 113–4. ISBN 1412843413.
  2. 1 2 Polatel, Mehmet (27 March 2015). "Social engineer: Şükrü Kaya". Agos.
Political offices
Preceded by
İsmet İnönü
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey
November 21, 1924March 4, 1925
Succeeded by
Tevfik Rüştü Aras
Preceded by
Mehmet Cemil Uybadın
Minister of Interior of Turkey
November 1, 1927November 11, 1938
Succeeded by
Refik Saydam
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