National Hero Gen. Sebouh Reinterred at Yerablur

A ceremony marked the transfer of General Sebouh’s ashes to the Yerablur military cemetery in Armenia. (Photo: Photolur)

YEREVAN—The remains of General Sebouh, a prominent leader of the Armenian liberation movement in the late 19th to early 20th centuries, were ceremonially buried in Yerevan’s military cemetery at Yerablur on Thursday.

General Sepuh (Arshak Nersesian) (1987-1940) was a renowned commander and leader of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) and fought against the Turkish Republic in the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide. As the leader of the ARF and the head of the Dashnaktsakan formation, he took part in the decisive battle of Sardarabad and later went on to help the Armenians besieged in Baku. In 1919, General Sebouh was elected to the Parliament in the short-lived First Republic of Armenia (1918-20).

General Sebouh was also known for driving the Bolsheviks out of Armenia (May, 1920), albeit temporarily, and crushing the Alexandropol Soviet. Sebouh left Armenia when the Bolsheviks eventually took the country. He later emigrated to the United States. General Sebouh’s last wish was to be cremated and buried in Armenia whenever that would become possible.

Attending the ceremony at the Pantheon in Yerevan was also Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian. Sebouh’s ashes were repatriated due to the efforts of the Ministry as well as members of the Nersesian family. The burial took place as part of events dedicated to the approaching centennial of the 1915 Armenian Genocide.