Abstract:

There was a rebellion centered in Bitlis against the Union and Progress government in the first months of 1914. The leaders of the rebellion were Mullah Selim, Seyid Ali and Sheik Şahabettin who were well-known clergymen of Hizan region. The rebellion generally called as Bitlis Events or Bitlis Incidence in the Ottaman press was repressed by the governmental intervention. While the notables of the rebellion were executed, other related people were condemned with different punishments. Tanin, Peyam and Sabah having been among the most significant newspapers of the period were the media organs that most widely dealt with and discussed on the rebellion. In these newspapers, the reasons, progress, and results of the rebellion, and the actions needed to be taken were evaluated in detail. Reactions of the related people and their loyalty messages to the government against these events which were not supported by the people and ulema of the region took place in the aforementioned newspapers. Apart from this, the people who took side with the government against these events were awarded in different ways. This study tries to examine the reflections of Bitlis Events on the significant newspapers of the period

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