Hamazasp Srvandztyan – Armenian Fedayis

Hamazasp Srvandztyan was born in the city of Van in 1873. Since the early years of his life, he has been engaged in the Armenian revolutionary movement.

Evading Turkish persecutions, Srvandztyan soon moved to Erivan (modern Yerevan), and then to Shusha. In 1905-06, Srvandztyan partook in the Armenian-Turkish encounters and immediately demonstrated his courage.

In 1906, Srvandztyan set up the defense of the city of Ganzak from the Caucasian Tatars (Turkish Azerbaijanis). However, in 1908, he along with Dashnak activists was arrested by the Tsarist government of Russia and exiled to Siberia for 15 years. In 1913, Srvandztyan managed to flee Siberia and moved to Europe. In 1914, he arrived in Constantinople.

In the years of WWI, Srvandztyan headed the 3rd Armenian volunteer unit, which participated in many battles, including the 1915 campaign for the liberation of Van, Bitlis, and Khizan.

In February 1917, Srvandztyan was appointed the commander of the police units of the Alashkert Province. In 1918, he took part in the defense of Baku where he commanded an Armenian brigade of 3,500 men and where he resisted the attacks of the Turkish army for 4 months.

After the end of WWI, Srvandztyan returned to Armenia to be shortly appointed the commander of the Armenian army in the Nor Bayazet Region. In 1920, he participated in another Armenian-Turkish war.

After the establishment of the Soviet Union, Srvandztyan was arrested. In February 1921, he was killed by the Soviets in the Yerevan prison due to the significance of his figure in the Armenian liberation movement, which could pose threat to the Soviets in the future.

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