Topal Osman

Topal Osman Agha (1883, Giresun, Trebizond Vilayet – 2 April 1923, Ankara) was a Turkish militia leader of the late Ottoman and early Republican periods. He commanded the 42nd Giresun Volunteer Regiment and 47th Giresun Volunteer Regiment. His last rank was Lieutenant-colonel of militia (Milis Yarbayı).

He was a veteran of the 1912–1913 Balkan Wars, where he became lame in one foot (Turkish: topal).

Topal Osman was known to have been responsible for massacres against Armenians during the Armenian Genocide in the Pontus region where he was stationed during World War I. While in Trabzon, Osman made a name for himself in the spring of 1915 as commander of a squadron of gangs. Osman, along with Ishak Çavuş, were known to have partaken in the drowning and massacres of the local Armenian population. During this time, Osman had also profiteered from the confiscation of assets and property belonging to the Armenians.

After the first world war Topal Osman Pasha continued his operations in the Black Sea region, this time targeting rebellious Christian Pontic Greeks during the Turkish war of independence. He is seen as one of the key perpetrators of the Greek Genocide, particularly in the northern region of Turkey historically known as Pontus. According to Mustafa Kemal's recent biographer, Topal Osman was a "sadistic ethnic cleanser of Armenians and Greeks." Osman along with his gang of cut throats, were responsible for massacres, deportations, destruction and confiscation of property, extortion, rapes and other atrocities throughout this region including the cities, towns and villages of Samsun, Marsovan, Giresun, Tirebolu, Unye, Havza and Bulancak. He was however refused arms and cooperation by the government and inhabitants of Trabzon, where multicultural pro-Ottoman ideals were stronger due to inter-ethnic and religious family ties. Out of anger for this refusal, Topal Osman sacked some houses in a Christian neighborhood before being forced out of the city by armed Turkish port workers and officials. Together with his subsequent murder of Trabzon deputy Ali Şükrü Bey (leader of the first Turkish opposition party) this led to long standing animosity between the nationalist government of Mustafa Kemal and the population of Trabzon.

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