[MUBADELE / IMMIGRATION / CONFISCATION] A document written by a Greek Orthodox (Rum) citizen of Istanbul, stating that his house was assigned by the state, without his permission, to a Thessaloniki immigrant as part of the ongoing Population Exchange

[A GREEK ORTHODOX CITIZEN].

Manuscript, 16 February 1928. 

COMPLETE TITLE: [MUBADELE / IMMIGRATION / CONFISCATION] A document in Ottoman Turkish written by a Greek Orthodox (Rum) citizen of Istanbul, stating that his house was assigned by the state, without his permission, to a Thessaloniki immigrant as part of the ongoing Population Exchange, sent to Muammer Rasid Bey in 1928, a renowned lawyer of his time and former judge at the Permanent Court of International Justice in The Hague, known for his expertise in international law.

A 10-line autograph letter, entirely written in Ottoman Turkish in elegant handwriting, with a signature in Greek. 37 x 23 cm. Vertical and horizontal fold marks, slight chippings on extremities, repaired contemporarily by tape. Otherwise, a very good document.

A rare letter in Ottoman Turkish, written in elegant handwriting and sent to Muammer Rasid Sevig (1885-1973), a prominent jurist and politician who served as a judge at the Permanent Court of International Justice in The Hague and as Rector of Istanbul University, during the period when he was practicing as a lawyer specializing in international law. The letter was written by a Greek Orthodox (Rum) citizen of Istanbul, stating that his house had been assigned by the state, without his consent, to a Thessaloniki immigrant within the context of the ongoing Population Exchange. It also includes details regarding the legal fees associated with the matter.

“Avukat Muammer Rasid [Sevig] Beyefendiye,

Beyoglu’nda, Pangalti’da, Şehid Muhtar Bey Caddesi’nde 107-81 numerolu hanemi Istanbul Iskân Müdüriyeti, Selânik muhacirlerinden Osman Fehmi Bey’e bilâsebeb Kanûn-i Takrîz edilmek üzere mezkûr hanemi bittahkîk(?) mümaileyhi iskân ettirmis oldugundan muhakeme-i iadesine müracaa ile haleldar olan hukukumu müdafaa ve hukuk-i tasarrufiyyemi temîn etmek üzere lâzim gelen muamele-yi kanûniyyenin ecrâmi için zât-i âlîlerini bir kit’a vekâletnâme ile tevkîl eylemis oldugumdan icraât-i vekâlet olarak maktûen bin lira iadesini tehir eylerim. Isbu bin liradan üçyüz lirasini… Fî 16 Subat sene 1928.”

English translation: To Lawyer Muammer Rasid [Sevig] Bey,

As the Istanbul Resettlement Directorate (Iskân Müdüriyeti) has, without any legitimate reason, assigned my residence located in Beyoglu, Pangalti, on Sehid Muhtar Bey Street, No. 107-81, to Osman Fehmi Bey, one of the immigrants from Thessaloniki, with the aim of formalizing it under the relevant law (Kanûn-i Takriz), and as my property has been unlawfully occupied in this manner.

I have applied for a retrial (muhakeme-i iade) and, in order to defend my compromised rights and secure my rights of ownership (hukuk-i tasarrufiyye), I have authorized Your Excellency by means of a power of attorney (vekâletnâme) to carry out the necessary legal procedures (muamele-i kanuniyye).

For these legal services to be carried out on my behalf, I request that the fixed sum of one thousand liras be paid. From this amount, three hundred liras are to be...

Dated: 16 February, 1928”.

On January 30, 1923, the Convention and Protocol Concerning the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations was signed and entered into force. According to Article 1 of the agreement, a compulsory population exchange was to be carried out between Muslims residing in Greek territory and Greek Orthodox Christians settled in Turkish territory, beginning on May 1, 1923 (Oran). The primary rationale behind this exchange was the desire of both countries to create ethnically homogeneous societies within their respective borders.

Article 2 of the agreement stipulated that Greeks residing in Istanbul and Muslims residing in Western Thrace were excluded from the exchange and considered established residents (établis). However, the different interpretations of this article by the two countries led to significant disagreements (Metintas). These disagreements persisted for a long time and, when no resolution could be reached, the matter was brought before the League of Nations. Still, no solution emerged, and the case was eventually referred to the Permanent Court of International Justice, which issued a non-binding advisory opinion. Yet, the issue remained unresolved (Firat).

Bilateral negotiations continued for years and finally led to the signing of the Ankara Agreement between the two governments on June 10, 1930. According to Articles 10 and 14 of the agreement, Greek Orthodox residents of Istanbul and Turks of Western Thrace who had settled in these regions before October 30, 1918, regardless of their birthplace or date of arrival, were recognized as non-exchangeable established residents (établis) and were not subject to the population exchange (Erdal).

Nevertheless, certain restrictions were imposed on the non-exchangeable Greek Orthodox residents of Istanbul. These individuals were permitted to reside only in Istanbul, Bozcaada (Tenedos), and Imroz (today Gökçeada) (Ari). As a result, Turks in Western Thrace and Greek Orthodox residents in Istanbul, Imroz, and Bozcaada became minorities within the newly defined borders of the Turkish and Greek states established by the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne (Chousein).

In the present manuscript, the house of a Greek Orthodox citizen of Istanbul, located in Pangalti, was assigned to a Turkish-origin exchangee (mübadil) for settlement. According to the citizen’s claim, this was done without his consent and in violation of the law.

Migration Immigration Exchange of Populations 1923 Greeks Non-Muslim minorities Thessaloniki Salonica Salonique