Krikor Zohrab
| Krikor Zohrab | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
June 26, 1861 Constantinople, Ottoman Empire |
| Died | July 20, 1915 (aged 54) Near Urfa, Ottoman Empire |
| Residence | Constantinople |
| Nationality | Armenian |
| Citizenship | Ottoman |
| Title | Member of the Ottoman Chamber of Deputies |
| Term | 1908–1912 |
| Political party | Unaffiliated |
Krikor Zohrab (Armenian: Գրիգոր Զոհրապ; June 26, 1861 – 1915) was an influential Armenian writer, politician, and lawyer from Constantinople. At the onset of the Armenian Genocide he was arrested by the Turkish government and sent to appear before a military court in Diyarbakır. En route, at a locality called Karaköprü or Şeytanderesi on the outskirts of Urfa, he was murdered by a band of known brigands under the leadership of Çerkez Ahmet, Halil and Nazım some time between 15 July and 20 July 1915
Zohrab was born into a wealthy family in Beşiktaş, Istanbul on 26 June 1861. His early education was completed at a local Armenian Catholic school. He received a civil engineering degree from Galatasaray Institute, but did not work in that field. Instead, he enrolled in a newly opened law school, the Imperial University of Jurisprudence, and received his law degree in 1882. He was a revered lawyer in the courts of the Ottoman Empire. He became a professor at the university, teaching law. At the age of 27, he married Clara Yazejian, and fathered two daughters and two sons. One of the daughters, Dolores Zohrab Liebmann, eventually became an American philanthropist.
Krikor Zohrab defended successfully many Armenians charged with a variety of political and criminal offenses between 1895-96. As a result of his defense of a Bulgarian revolutionary in the course of which he accused a Turkish official of torture, he was disbarred and forced to live abroad.
In 1908, following the revolution of the Young Turks, he became a member of parliament in the Ottoman Council, and also served his community as an Armenian councilor.
Zohrab was a great intellectual that lived a very busy life. He had to balance his professional life with his personal life. He had a rich personality along with a generous heart. He loved life and its pleasures. Although he usually was open to progressive ideas he was steadfastly conservative to women’s role in society. He believed that women should keep their traditional roles and not venture further.
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Wikipedia