The Repression of Armenian Repatriates During the Stalin Era is a detailed account of the repression, displacement, and destruction of countless Armenian lives, as well as the inhumane violence perpetrated against these individuals by Communist regimes. Why was this an important book for you to write?

For me, this book The Repression of Armenian Repatriates During the Stalin Era brought to light the issue of long forgotten and ignored victims of Stalin’s regime 1920-1953. During my yearly visit to Armenia, on June 14 in 2006 I heard from the national news that there was going to be a demonstration in Yerevan at a site called Commemorative Plaque (Hushakar). I became curious and decided to attend. There, I saw about 30-50 mostly older folks telling their story to the cameramen and newspaper journalists. There were a few public figures who were also listening and talking with the demonstrators and the journalists. The main theme of the demonstration was the lack of attention to their plight and lack of reparations.

By the end of the day, I learned the significance of that date. On June 14, 1949, during late night about 2000, citizens, mostly expatriates, were gathered at gunpoint from their homes and sent to Siberian Gulags with train rides that lasted 16 days.

How much research did you undertake for this book and how long did it take to put it all together?

As I said above, I wanted to find out more about what happened to my people during Stalin’s era. Of course like the rest of the international community, Stalin’s atrocities are well documented, but what I discovered shocked me further.

I started my research from the National Archives of Armenia located in a 3-story old Soviet-era building in the capital city, Yerevan. It took me 4 years of summer months since I was a full-time Chemistry teacher in the US during the school year. I hired a translator because some files were in Russian only. I isolated 1700 files of only expatriates. Some files (dossiers) were half an inch thick, and some were 4-6 inches thick. Every piece of paper, receipt, letter, and any other document has been preserved. Afterward, the book got published in 2010 in Yerevan. I had a very well-publicized book presentation at the City Main Public Library in August of that year.

This book was translated into English in 2012 and into Russian a year later.

What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?

During my research at the archives, I found as many Gulag survivors as I could. I had an interview with the president of the Survivors Union. He told me that most of them are living in poverty. He was thankful to the Armenian Government that despite hard financial times, has legislated a modest stipend for them plus free bus and metro passes. He said that the survivors have been petitioning the Russian Government in Moscow for real reparations, with no result. After Stalin’s death in 1953, the remaining prisoners in Siberia were all freed and were announced INNOCENT OF ALL CHARGES.

During my subsequent visits, I interviewed 40 survivors of the Gulags which became another book in 2019 titled The Memoirs of The Survivors of Stalin’s Era published in Armenian only.

Unfortunately, some of these individuals have passed away. All of them thanked me for bringing their plight to the attention of the public. Judging from newspaper reviews about my work, the Parliament passed a resolution to increase the social security pay.

Some of them had endured such a deep trauma that they refused to talk with me out of fear. My interview sessions were sometimes interrupted either with my tears of empathy or theirs.

What is one thing that you hope readers take away from The Repression of Armenian Repatriates During the Stalin Era?

• How thousands of innocent people in their own homeland can become victims of an unchecked authority i.e. dictatorship.
• The Evil Empire of the Soviet Union had no regard for the self-determination of an entire nation. It was not a social movement; it was for domination and securing slave labor.
• Lack of Institutions and worship of a father figure such as Stalin or Lenin can cause havoc and death to millions of innocent people and eventually can bring down an Empire. We see this same phenomenon happening in US now.
• To give voice to the disenfranchised and marginal people IS THE DUTY OF ALL DEMOCRACIES.

Author Links: GoodReads