Mediamax presents 100 Seconds project devoted to Armenian Genocide Centennial. The project is based on testimonies of Genocide survivors published by the National Archive of Armenia.

Donald Bloxham is a Professor of Modern History, Editor of the Journal of Holocaust Education.

For 100 seconds project he reads an extract from Armenian Genocide survivor Ruben Vardanian’s testimony.



National Archives of Armenia
Collection of Documents

Testimony of survivor Ruben Vardanian on the Massacre of the village of Goms in Mush district of Mush province

At the end of Easter 10 to 15 policemen came to our village. They told us that the government wanted us all. In the morning, they surrounded the village and some of them broke in, gathered everyone, women and children and drove them out. They shot those who tried to flee. Two people were killed there. After starting off, the policemen killed another four people who tried to flee. They also caught a man and cut off his head with a sword.

After walking for some time we were returned back to our village which was full of people from other villages. Turks from the town had come who selected beautiful women and girls and took them  away. Our friend Rasul came, selected my mother, my three brothers and me and took us to Baghesh to keep in his house. We stayed there for a month. Once I went to our village with the Turkish children to look for food and goods. All the houses in our village were destroyed; the wooden parts were taken away. There were corpses in the church, around it and in the yard; the Turks counted 80 corpses of women and children.

Producer: Ara Tadevosyan
Filming: Peter Ross
Post Production: Tumo LLC

The source of Ruben Vardanian’s testimony: National Archives of Armenia, Armenian Genocide by Ottoman Turkey, 1915, Testimony of survivors, Collection of documents, Yerevan-2013.

VivaCell-MTS is the general partner of 100 seconds project.