“Republic Of Armenia” Newspaper – Women Victims Of The Genocide

The killer’s weakness was greater than the weakness of the weak. This weakness could only frighten defenseless children and women who, to the end, fulfilling their maternal, patriotic, and professional duty bravely bowed their heads to the beast that boasted the power of arms.

It is difficult, even impossible, to talk about each of the millions, especially since there is not so much information about all of them separately. The available information is also too insignificant to form an idea of those who are more or less known.

Among many, the woman became a victim of the Genocide. And first of all, it was the intellectual woman – the doctor, teacher, writer, church employee…

Several names are known, such as teachers Margarit Nalbandyan, Esther Voskerichyan, and Araksia Chepechyan. Little information has been preserved about the latter – it is known that she was born in 1880 in Ayntap and studied at the Haykanushyan College. After college, she continued her education first in Ayntap and then at the girls’ college in Marash. She taught at the Marash College and then at the Ayntap Pedagogical College in 1912.

In 1914, she left for England to attend classes at Woodbrook Theological College. She returned to Ayntap and in 1915 was deported with her family along the road of death in Deir ez-Zor. In Deir ez-Zor, Araksia would help the Armenian settlers.

When the anti-Armenian Zeki-bey was appointed ruler in Deir ez-Zor, the extermination of Armenians began. Araksia Chepechyan was personally killed by Zeki-Bey in 1916.

Source: Armenpress.am