“The Eyewitness”: “You’re lucky you didn’t see it” – Yepraksi Gevorgyan

“The Eyewitness”: “You’re lucky you didn’t see it” – Yepraksi Gevorgyan  –

The memories of surviving eyewitnesses of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 continue to be presented as part of “The Eyewitness” special project of “ArmenPress” News Agency ahead of the 100 th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

 Resident of Armavir city of Armavir Province, Yepraksi Gevorgyan (born in 1914 in Kars) is one of the thousands of Armenians for whom the genocide is directly associated with the long and hard years at an orphanage, even though she says they were years of cordiality.

 “I was born in the Laloyi Mavrak village of Kars region. I had four uncles and grandparents. We had everything,” says Yepraksi as she starts remembering the past during an interview in her yard.

 She migrated from Kars to Ashtarak, then Yeghvard and then Alexandropol (modern-day Gyumri) from where, by fate, she was taken to an American orphanage. She got excited when she remembered revolutionary, state figure Askanaz Mravyan’s generosity towards the survivors of the massacres. “I start crying whenever I talk about the Turks or war…You’re lucky you didn’t see it,” says the eyewitness, who will soon turn 100. She remembers how well the Americans treated her at the orphanage.

 “Hovhannes Shiraz and Tadevos Karapetyan were my classmates. We were provided with a great education as well,” says the eyewitness, citing the words and expressions that she remembers very well from her years at the orphanage.