Gabriel Kafian
Encyclopedia
Gabriel Gerasimi Kafian (1861, Shusha
, Karabakh
- 1930, Tbilisi
) was an Armenia
n political and public activist, one of the founders of Social Democrat Hunchakian Party
.
Kafian was born in the town of Shusha, in the Karabakh region of Elisabethpol Governorate
. He finished Zurich University, in 1883 he participated in the Second International
. In 1887, with Avetis Nazarbekian
and others, he founded the Hunchak
and the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party
, the first socialist party in the Ottoman Empire
and the Middle East
. In 1890 he moved to Constantinople
, participated in the Kum Kapu Affray, then worked in Arabkir
, Sebastia, Agn
and Kharberd. He tried to include the Dersim Kurds in an anti-sultanic movement, but was arrested and then jailed. After prison he lived in Europe. He was arrested again and transferred to Russia. In 1917 he participated in the February Revolution
.
Shusha
Shusha , also known as Shushi is a town in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh in the South Caucasus. It has been under the control of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic since its capture in 1992 during the Nagorno-Karabakh War...
, Karabakh
Karabakh
The Karabakh horse , also known as Karabakh, is a mountain-steppe racing and riding horse. It is named after the geographic region where the horse was originally developed, Karabakh in the Southern Caucasus, an area that is de jure part of Azerbaijan but the highland part of which is currently...
- 1930, Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
) was an Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n political and public activist, one of the founders of Social Democrat Hunchakian Party
Social Democrat Hunchakian Party
The Social Democrat Hunchakian Party , is the oldest of the Armenian political parties and was the first Socialist party in the Ottoman Empire and in Persia...
.
Kafian was born in the town of Shusha, in the Karabakh region of Elisabethpol Governorate
Elisabethpol Governorate
Elisabethpol Governorate or Elizavetpol Governorate was one of the guberniyas of the Russian Empire, with its centre in Elisabethpol . Its area was 44,136 sq. kilometres, and it had 878,415 inhabitants by 1897....
. He finished Zurich University, in 1883 he participated in the Second International
Second International
The Second International , the original Socialist International, was an organization of socialist and labour parties formed in Paris on July 14, 1889. At the Paris meeting delegations from 20 countries participated...
. In 1887, with Avetis Nazarbekian
Avetis Nazarbekian
Avetis Nazarbekian , also known as Nazarbek or Lerents, was an Armenian poet, journalist, political activist and revolutionary, one of the founders of Social Democrat Hunchakian Party....
and others, he founded the Hunchak
Hunchak (journal)
Hunchak was the official organ of the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party.It was founded by Avetis Nazarbekian and published in 1887-1915, 1935-1940, in France, Greece, Britain and USA. The main purpose of the paper was the propaganda of the Armenian national movement for the liberation, the...
and the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party
Social Democrat Hunchakian Party
The Social Democrat Hunchakian Party , is the oldest of the Armenian political parties and was the first Socialist party in the Ottoman Empire and in Persia...
, the first socialist party in the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. In 1890 he moved to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, participated in the Kum Kapu Affray, then worked in Arabkir
Arabkir
Arapgir Arapgir Arapgir (also Arabkir, Arabgir, Arapkir is the name of a town and district of Malatya Province, Turkey. As of 2000 it had a population of 17,070 people. It is situated in the confluence of the eastern and western Euphrates river, but some miles from the right bank of the combined...
, Sebastia, Agn
Kemaliye
Kemaliye is a both a town in and one of the nine districts of Erzincan Province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey.The town is known for its historic architecture, including many Ottoman-era houses...
and Kharberd. He tried to include the Dersim Kurds in an anti-sultanic movement, but was arrested and then jailed. After prison he lived in Europe. He was arrested again and transferred to Russia. In 1917 he participated in the February Revolution
February Revolution
The February Revolution of 1917 was the first of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. Centered around the then capital Petrograd in March . Its immediate result was the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, the end of the Romanov dynasty, and the end of the Russian Empire...
.
Sources
- The Armenian Question, encyclopedia, Ed. by acad. K. Khudaverdyan, Yerevan, 1996, p. 182.