HARP VE ESARET: BİRİNCİ DÜNYA SAVAŞI VE AZERBAYCAN’DA OSMANLI ESİRLERİ (1915-1918)

Abstract

This study examines the fate of Ottoman soldiers captured by Russian forces on the Caucasus Front of the First World War, focusing on the Nargin prisoner-of-war camp off the coast of Baku. The primary period of analysis is 1915-1918, with limited reference to 1914 for the camp’s establishment and to 1926 for the legal and administrative consequences of repatriation. Methodologically it rests on the source-critical, cross-reading analysis of archival material from the Russian Federation, Türkiye and Azerbaijan, together with contemporary press and memoirs. The study tests five hypotheses: (1) The Tsarist administration’s discriminatory policies toward its Muslim subjects, together with shared bonds of religion, language and belonging, jointly shaped the social foundations of Caucasus Muslims’ solidarity with Ottoman prisoners. (2) Violence and loss of life during transfer and assembly were linked not only to isolated incidents but also to administrative fragmentation, logistical deficiencies, gaps in oversight and regional conflict. (3) Bolshevik institutions targeted prisoners of war through propaganda and organizational initiatives, while prisoners’ political orientations and visions of the future remained heterogeneous. (4) Multiple and competing authorities seriously weakened in practice the state responsibility and effective control mechanisms underpinning the Hague Conventions. (5) Rather than a principal determinant of Turkish Soviet relations, the 1920-1926 repatriation initiatives served as a testing ground revealing the parties’ diplomatic cooperation and administrative capacity. The findings support these hypotheses to varying degrees. The main findings are: the Baku Muslim Charitable Society and other local relief organizations contributed to improving prisoners’ access to food, medical care, and protection. Following the Treaty of Moscow of 16 March 1921, repatriation was regulated by the Convention on the Repatriation of Prisoners of War of 28 March 1921. Law No. 750 of 22 February 1926 then allowed a “transfer of nationals” through embassies and consulates instead of the procedure prescribed by the Convention.