Türkiye releases archival records of Greek Army atrocities in Anatolia

Foreign ministry publishes photographs and documents alleging civilian massacres and village destruction during the 1919-1922 Greco-Turkish War

The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Friday released archival documents and photographs that it said documented atrocities committed by the Greek Army against Turkish civilians in Anatolia during the Greco-Turkish War of 1919-1922.       In a statement posted on the US social media company X, the ministry said the material from its archives showed the destruction of villages and the killing of civilians during the Greek Army's occupation of Anatolia and subsequent retreat. It said the records were evidence of a systematic policy of destruction that was recognized in the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne and by international reports. "The documents and photographs we have released from our Ministry’s archives once again reveal the atrocities committed by the Greek Army in Anatolia between 1919 and 1922. "During their occupation of Anatolia and subsequent retreat, Greek forces pursued a systematic policy of destruction—a fact recognized in the Lausanne Peace Treaty and various international reports. "The records we are sharing hereby serve as a harrowing example of a massacre perpetrated against the Turkish civilian population in a village near Bursa."       The archives The ministry's release included photographs attributed to a commission of inquiry, along with handwritten archival documents. The photographs show the remains of villages, civilian victims, and survivors of attacks in settlements near Bursa, in northwestern Türkiye. One photograph depicts the village of Mashara Hasan after its destruction by fire. The accompanying caption says the village was among the settlements whose inhabitants were massacred by Greek forces during the Greek forces' retreat from Bursa. Other images show the bodies of civilians, including women and children, and a group of injured survivors from Sogutpinar village in Mudanya. The captions identify the photographs as records of alleged atrocities against Turkish civilians. The ministry said residents of Sogutpinar were forced into a local mosque, where some were killed and others were wounded by bayonets and gunfire. The release comes amid continuing disputes between Türkiye and Greece over the history of the Greco-Turkish War and the treatment of civilians during the conflict. The war began after Greek forces landed in Izmir on May 15, 1919, and the conflict ended with the establishment of the Republic of Türkiye in 1923. Article 59 of the Treaty of Lausanne, signed on July 24, 1923, states that Greece recognized its obligation to make reparations for damage caused in Anatolia by acts of the Greek Army or administration that violated the laws of war. The Turkish Foreign Ministry's Diplomatic Archives contain historical documents from the period, including records relating to the National War of Independence. The ministry has made archival materials available through its digital archives and research facilities.