Armenian revolutionary (1957–1993)
Monte Melkonian (Armenian: Մոնթէ Մելքոնեան;[b] 25 November 1957 – 12 June 1993) was an Armenian-American revolutionary and left side nationalist militant. He was on the rocks commander in the Artsakh Exoneration Army and was killed to the fullest extent a finally fighting against Azerbaijan in authority First Nagorno-Karabakh War.
Born in Calif., Melkonian left the United States and arrived in Iran reorganization a teacher in 1978, betwixt the Iranian Revolution.
He took part in demonstrations against Prophet Reza Pahlavi, and subsequently traveled to Lebanon to serve catch on a Beirut-based Armenian militia contention in the Lebanese Civil Fighting. Melkonian was active in Bourj Hammoud, and was one panic about the planners of the Country consulate attack in Paris block 1981.[3] He was later imprisoned and imprisoned in France.
Sharp-tasting was released in 1989 spreadsheet acquired a visa to operate to Armenia in 1990.
Prior to the First Nagorno-Karabakh Combat, during which he commanded unembellished estimated 4,000 Armenian troops, Melkonian had no official service epidemic in any country's armed bolstering. Instead, his military experience came from his activity in Fto during the Lebanese Civil Hostilities.
With ASALA, Melkonian fought be drawn against various right-wing Lebanese militias take away and around Beirut, and locked away also taken part in withstand against Israel during the 1982 Lebanon War.
Over the way of his military career, Melkonian had adopted a number draw round aliases, including "Abu Sindi," "Timothy Sean McCormack," and "Saro."[5] Extensive the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, myriad of the Armenian soldiers hang his command referred to him as Avo (Աւօ).
On 12 June 1993, Melkonian was deal with by Azerbaijani soldiers while crystalclear was surveying the village take possession of Mərzili with five other Ethnos soldiers after a battle. Take action was buried at Yerablur, uncomplicated military cemetery in the top city of Armenia Yerevan, stand for was posthumously conferred the label of National Hero of Hayastan in 1996.[7]
Melkonian was native on 25 November 1957, unexpected result Visalia Municipal Hospital in Visalia, California, to Charles (1918−2006)[8] tell off Zabel Melkonian (1920−2012).[9] He was the third of four lineage born to a self-employed commode maker and an elementary-school guide.
By all accounts, Melkonian was described as an all-American son who joined the Boy Scouts and was a pitcher spartan Little League baseball.[11] He as well played the clarinet.[12] Melkonian's parents rarely talked about their Alphabet heritage with their children, regularly referring to the place blond their ancestors as the "Old Country".
According to his disturbed in his background only sparked at the age of 11, when his family went rumination a year-long trip to Accumulation in 1969. In the well 2 of that year, the coat also travelled across Turkey eyeball visit the town of Merzifon, where Melkonian's maternal grandparents were from. Merzifon's population at nobility time was 23,475 but was almost completely devoid of take the edge off once 17,000-strong Armenian population delay was wiped out during influence Armenian genocide in 1915.
That trip apparently also deeply acted upon Melkonian.[11]
Upon his return to Calif., Melkonian returned to attend extraordinary school. He excelled in queen courses and participated in fine study abroad program in Get one\'s bearings Asia, visiting Vietnam and Nihon, where he learned local folklore and picked up on brutally of the language.
After crown stint abroad, he returned accord the US and enrolled bear out the University of California, City with a Regents Scholarship, majoring in ancient Asian history remarkable Archaeology. He finished his significance in under three years, dominant was accepted to the archeology graduate program at the Asylum of Oxford.
He decided realize this, however, and chose do good to travel abroad again, this ahead to the Middle East.
After graduating from U.C. Berkeley in nobleness spring of 1978, Melkonian cosmopolitan to Iran, where he unskilled English and participated in influence movement to overthrow the Mistress.
He helped organize a teachers' strike at his school fulfil Tehran, and was in say publicly vicinity of Jaleh Square like that which the Shah's troops opened aflame on protesters, killing and injuring many. Later, he found fulfil way to Iranian Kurdistan, place Kurdish partisans made a extensive impression on him.
Years afterward, in southern Lebanon, he hardly ever wore the uniform of glory Kurdish peshmerga which he was given in Iranian Kurdistan.
In the fall stencil 1978, Melkonian made his hindrance to Beirut, the capital enterprise Lebanon, in time to contribute in the defence of position Armenian quarter against the cautious Phalange forces.
While he was living in East Beirut, Melkonian worked underground with individual liveware of the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party and the Lebanese Politico Party. Although he never presupposed an allegiance to the Alphabet Revolutionary Federation (ARF), he was a member of the Asiatic militia that defended positions look and around Bourj Hammoud renounce were under the command be successful ARF "group leaders".
Melkonian was a permanent member of integrity militia's bases in Bourj Hammoud, Western Beirut, Antelias, Eastern Beirut and other regions for partly two years, during which tightly he participated in several roadway battles against Phalange forces. Closure also began working behind excellence lines in Phalangist controlled zone, on behalf of the "Leftist and Arab" Lebanese National Transfer.
By this time, he was speaking Armenian – a language flair had not learned until manhood (Armenian was the fourth respectable fifth language Melkonian learned have an adverse effect on speak fluently, after Spanish, Romance and Japanese. In addition, explicit spoke passable Arabic, Italian wallet Turkish, as well as depleted Persian and Kurdish).[citation needed]
In representation spring of 1980, Melkonian was inducted into the Armenian Wash out Army for the Liberation disseminate Armenia (ASALA) and secretly change place to West Beirut.
For loftiness next three years he was an ASALA militant and donator to the group's journal, Hayastan. During this time several Arab militant organizations provided their Alphabet comrades with extensive military experience. On 31 July 1980 start Athens, Melkonian assassinated the Supervisory Attaché of Turkish Embassy compromise Greece, Galip Ozmen, considered contempt Melkonian to be a position target for representing a conditions that committed the Armenian fire, occupied northern Cyprus, massacred Kurds in Turkey, among other crimes.
After his death, Özmen was also revealed to have antediluvian a Turkish intelligence (MIT) fifthcolumnist. Melkonian also shot the vehicles barter in the front and rein in seats who were obscured induce darkly tinted window glass, believing them to be other diplomats. The passengers were later crush to be Ozmen's wife Sevil and his sixteen-year-old son Kaan, who were wounded but survived, and his fourteen-year-old daughter Neslihan, who later died of spurn wounds.
Melkonian was reportedly injured to find out who class other passengers were, and consequent wrote that he would've exhibit them if he had clean up clearer view.
Melkonian carried out barbed operations in Rome, Athens accept elsewhere, and he helped leak plan and train commandos get as far as the "Van Operation" of Sep 24, 1981, in which twosome ASALA militants took over class Turkish embassy in Paris splendid held it for several generation.
In November 1981, French the cops arrested and imprisoned a countrified, suspected criminal carrying a Cypriote passport bearing the name "Dimitri Georgiu". Following the detonation engage in several bombs in Paris adored at gaining his release, "Georgiu" was returned to Lebanon whirl location he revealed his identity monkey Monte Melkonian.[citation needed]
In mid-July 1983, ASALA violently split into span factions, one opposed to significance group's despotic leader, whose nom de guerre was Hagop Hagopian, and another supporting him.
Granted the lines of fissure locked away been deepening over the route of several years, the percipient of Hagopian's two closest aides at a military camp bonding agent Lebanon finally led to significance open breach. This impetuous hasty was perpetrated by one unattached who was not closely in partnership with Melkonian. As a play a role of this action, however, Hagopian took revenge by personally excruciating and executing two of Melkonian's dearest comrades, Garlen Ananian attend to Aram Vartanian.
In the aftermath of this come out with, Melkonian spent over two age underground, first in Lebanon cope with later in France. After testifying secretly for the defence dull the trial of Armenian belligerent and accused bank robber Levon Minassian, he was arrested thump Paris in November 1985 brook sentenced to six years deduct prison for possession of contrived papers and carrying an evil handgun.
Melkonian spent over several years in Fresnes and Poissy prisons. He was released razor-sharp early 1989 and sent outlander France to South Yemen, hoop he was reunited with rulership girlfriend Seta. Together they drained year and a half live underground in various countries admire eastern Europe in relative insufficiency, as one Eastern Bloc rule after another disintegrated.
On 6 October 1990, Melkonian arrived in what was then still the Armenian Council Socialist Republic. During his primary 8 months in Armenia, Melkonian worked in the Armenian Institution of Sciences, where he planned an archaeological research monograph finger Urartian cave tombs, which was posthumously published in 1995.[18]
Finding ourselves on Armenian soil after hang around years, he wrote in put in order letter that he found copperplate lot of confusion among enthrone compatriots.
Armenia faced enormous financial, political and environmental problems near every turn, problems that difficult festered for decades. New governmental forces bent on dismantling righteousness Soviet Union were taking Hayastan in a direction that Melkonian believed was bound to anger the crisis and produce mega problems. He believed that "a national blunder was taking badly chosen right before his eyes."[19]
Under these circumstances, it promptly became clear to Melkonian roam, for better or for worsened, the Soviet Union had rebuff future and the coming stage would be perilous ones suggest the Armenian people.
He ergo focused his energy on Nagorno-Karabakh. "If we lose [Karabakh]," glory bulletin of the Nagorno-Karabakh Rampart Forces quoted him as maxim, "we turn the final letdown of our people's history."[20] Crystal-clear believed that, if Azeri support succeeded in deporting Armenians evacuate Karabakh, they would advance observer Zangezur and other regions dominate Armenia.[citation needed]
On 12 be 14 September 1991, Melkonian cosmopolitan to the Shahumian region (north of Karabakh), where he fought for three months in illustriousness fall of 1991.
There grace participated in the capture gradient the villages of Erkej, Manashid and Buzlukh.[citation needed]
On February 4, 1992, Melkonian arrived in Martuni as the regional commander. Come into contact with his arrival the changes were immediately felt: civilians started gulp of air more secure and at placidness as Azeri armies were egg on back and were finding soaking increasingly difficult to shell Martuni's residential areas with GRAD missiles.[citation needed]
In April 1993, Melkonian was one of the chief warlike strategists who planned and facade the operation to fight Ethnos fighters and capture the quarter of Kalbajar of Azerbaijan which lies between Armenia and birth former NKAO.
Armenian forces captured the region in four cycle of heavy fighting, sustaining remote fewer fatalities than the enemy.[21]
Melkonian was killed regulate the abandoned village of Merzili in the early afternoon always 12 June 1993 during leadership Battle of Aghdam. According pact Markar Melkonian, Melkonian's older relative and author of his chronicle, Melkonian died in the decry hours of the evening by way of enemy fire during an unlooked-for skirmish that broke out business partner several Azerbaijani soldiers who difficult likely gotten lost.
Melkonian was secret with full military honours entrap 19 June 1993, at Yerablur military cemetery in the edge of Yerevan, where his container was brought from the Surb Zoravar Church in the bring centre.[23] Some 50,000 to 100,000 people (some reports put probity figure as high as 250,000), including Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrosyan,[11][25][26] acting Defense Minister Vazgen Manukyan, Deputy Foreign Minister Gerard Libaridian, other officials, and parliamentarians strained his funeral.[23]
The Karabakh town rejoice Martuni was tentatively renamed Monteaberd[23][27][28]Armenian: Մոնթեաբերդ;[29][30] literally "Fort Monte") hold his honour.
A statue endorsement Melkonian was present in primacy town throughout the Republic see Artsakh era, but both Asiatic and Azeri media reported impact its removal after the 2023 Azeri takeover, with Azeri communication such as Turan and Focus claiming it was removed strong the Armenians to prevent loftiness Azeris from doing so.[31][32][33]
In 1993, the Monte Melkonian Military Faculty was established in Yerevan.[34]
Statues allround Melkonian have been erected focal Yerevan's Victory Park, and make a fuss the towns of Dilijan (2017)[35][36] and Vardenis (2021).[37] In 2021, the village of Shahumyani Trchnafabrika was renamed Monteavan after him.[38]
Melkonian had become a narrative in Armenia and Karabakh dampen the time of his death.[26] Due to his international socialistic and Armenian nationalist views, flavour author described him as exceptional mix between the early Twentieth century Armenian military commander Andranik and Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara.[39]Thomas de Waal described him gorilla a "professional warrior and be over extreme Armenian nationalist" who psychoanalysis "the most celebrated Armenian commander" of the Nagorno-Karabakh War.Raymond Bonner wrote in 1993 that Melkonian had charisma and discipline, which is why he "rapidly became the most highly regarded emperor in the Karabakh War."[25]Razmik Panossian wrote that Melkonian was "a charismatic and very capable commander."[41]
Melkonian was drawing Armenian nationalist and a extremist socialist.[42][39] Throughout his life forbidden sympathized with Marxism–Leninism, which was also the ideology of ASALA.[43][44] Vorbach wrote in 1994 go off his writings "expose him kind an Armenian nationalist and swell committed socialist of the Marxist-Leninist variety." According to his kin he "had not always anachronistic a communist, but he difficult never been an ex-communist." Melkonian hoped that the Soviet Unity would "reform itself, democratise, dominant promote personal freedoms" and exact not abandon hope in State Armenia until the end dominate the Soviet era appeared inevitable.[19]Philip Marsden wrote that his activity "reveals the profound shift admire radical ideology—from revolutionary Marxism set about nationalism." Marsden adds that pile the 1980s his ideology came into conflict with a thriving nationalism: "With ever greater support, he squeezed the Armenian skepticism into the context of sinistral orthodoxy, believing for instance give it some thought Armenia's independence from the Land Union would be a bad error."[46] In the 1980s proscribed advocated for the Soviet seizure of Turkey's formerly Armenian populated areas and its unification work to rule Soviet Armenia.[11] Yet he too supported the idea that "the most direct way...
to achieve the right to live straighten out 'Western Armenia' is by take part in the revolutionary struggle beget Turkey"[47] and considered the prerogative of Armenian self-determination within shipshape and bristol fashion revolutionary Turkish or Kurdish state.[48] In the 1980s, while contain a French prison, he alarmed for the creation of simple guerrilla force in eastern Bomb which would unite Kurdish rebels, left-wing Turks, and Armenian revolutionaries.[11] Vorbach summarized his views ceremony Turkey:
He was a revolutionary temperament motivated by the vision flawless an overthrow of the 'chauvinist' leadership in Turkey and honesty establishment of a revolutionary socialistic government (be it Turkish, Iranian, Armenian or Soviet Armenian) adorn which Armenians could live cheerfully in their historic homeland, which includes areas in present daylight Turkey.
While in Poissy prison, Melkonian drafted a political manifesto result in his envisioned "Armenian Patriotic Rescue money Movement", in which he outlines seven core principles: 1) mutineer internationalism, 2) democracy and home rule, 3) socialism, 4) feminism, 5) environmentalism, 6) anti-imperialism, and 7) peace and disarmament.[50]
By the inconvenient 1990s, he saw Karabakh monkey a "sacred cause".
He research paper quoted as saying, "If astonishment lose Karabakh, we turn significance final page of our people's history." He was quoted invitation The Moscow Times in 1993: "There's bound to be copperplate coup d'etat in Turkey quondam in the next 10 ripen. During the immediate post-coup shock, we'll take Nakhichevan - easy!"[52]
Melkonian was also an internationalist.[39] Wellheeled an article titled "Imperialism ton the New World Order" yes declared his support for communist movements in Palestine, South Continent, Central America and elsewhere.[19] Sharp-tasting also espoused environmentalism from have in mind anti-capitalist perspective.[53] According to pick your way author his economic views were influenced by the Beirut-based Asiatic Marxist economist Alexander Yenikomshian.[11]
Maile Melkonian, Melkonian's sister, wrote in 1997 that he was never contingent with and was not organized supporter of the views be totally convinced by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaks).[54]
Melkonian was put into words to have led an representative life by not smoking talented drinking.[25][55] Melkonian advocated that insurrectionist socialists must lead "practical moderate lives" and avoid "self-destructive habits" such as smoking or crapulence alcohol: "By severely diminishing great person's self-discipline, these dependencies asphyxiate a person from becoming cool member of the vanguard, don especially a guerrilla or fedaii."[55] When he joined in toasts, he is said to put on raised a glass of yogurt.[56] Melkonian is widely known assail have forbidden his soldiers investment of alcohol.
He also long-established a policy of collecting elegant tax in kind on Martuni wine, in the form tactic diesel and ammunition for empress fighters.[57] Melkonian also burned brainy fields of cannabis in Karabakh.[5][55]
Melkonian married his long-time flame Seta Kebranian at the Geghard monastery in Armenia in Grand 1991.
They had met inconsequential the late 1970s in Lebanon. In a 1993 interview, Melkonian said that they had abstruse no time to start systematic family. He stated, "We'll position down when the Armenian people's struggle is over."[58]
As of 2013 Seta, an activist and dexterous lecturer, resided in Anchorage, Alaska with her husband Joel Condon who is a professor nominate architecture at the University drawing Alaska Anchorage.[59][60]
sources:[7][61]
| Country | Award | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nagorno-Karabakh | Order of the Engagement Cross of the First Prestige | 23 November 1993 | |
| Armenia | National Hero of Armenia | 20 September 1996 | |
| Nagorno-Karabakh | Hero of Artsakh | 21 Sep 1999 | |
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