Draft:Pravishte massacres

The Pravishte massacres are one of the most well-documented massacres of the Turkish civilian population during the Balkan Wars. The massacres took place in the Kaza of Pravishte, now Pangaio. The Bulgarians only took part in the massacre that took place in the town, but the murders in the villages were committed by the Greeks. 195 people were killed, most of them imams and educated men. During the massacres, the kaza's population decreased by nearly 7,000 people. The orders for the killings were given by the local municipal council headed by the Greek bishop.

The massacre has been recorded in both Turkish and Russian archives. The Carnegie Commission also mentions the massacre, as the local Muslim population formed a commission and sent a letter describing the murders and the participants.

Background
The Balkan Wars began in October 1912, when the Balkan states declared war on the Ottoman Empire. The First Balkan War was fought between the Ottoman Empire and the Balkan countries of Montenegro, Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece. The desire of the Balkan countries was to separate Macedonia, since each country had different claims to it. After the Ottoman Empire lost the region of Macedonia, the Second Balkan War ensued, which was fought between the Allies, who could not share the territories that had been cut off from the empire.

During the Balkan Wars, mass massacres were conducted against different peoples and religions. Serbia, Greece, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire engaged in massacres of the civilian population, burning, and sometimes even total destruction of villages.

The massacre
With Panayot Baichev band's participation, Pravishte fell under Bulgarian control in 1912, 31 October during the First Balkan War. Full Bulgarian control was established in the city, and the military commandant was Petar Baichev. The villagers around Pravishte, and Kavala and Serres as well, were short of food and lived in misery. During the Second Balkan War in 1913, Pravishte fell under Greek rule.

The massacre in Pravishte began after the withdrawal of the Ottoman army on October 24, 1913. It was carried out by local Greeks and Bulgarians. A total of 195 people were killed and the names of the dead are recorded in the Russian and Turkish archives, but this information is not mentioned in the Report.

The Greeks, taking advantage of the war conditions, began to produce justifications, especially to punish the Turks. The orders for the executions were received by the municipal council of Pravishte headed by the bishop Nicolas, the grocer Myriacos Mihail and others. The death sentences were approved by the Greek archbishop and were valid for the town of Pravishte and it's villages.

In Pravishte
A total of 10 Turks, including one woman, were killed in the city. Every time there was a murder, the Greek students would start singing the Greek national anthem. Baychev's band, local Bulgarian voivoda, took part in the massacre. It is was carried out in the locality of Kadik Başı and Kaynarca. The daughter of the commander of the gendarmeries, Suleiman Effendi, was threatened by the Greek bishop to convert to Christinaty but she was saved by Bulgarian. Looting had taken place, the losses being about 6,000 pоunds.

In villages
In 23 villages, a variety of murders were committed. Numerous animals, jewels and money were stolen. There were cases of rape and forced conversion of women. The bandits gave part of the money and animals for the benefit of the Greek church, and kept the rest. The largest number of people were killed in the village of Giran, Samalcol, Mouchtian and Esirli.

Later
During the Greek population census in 1915, a decrease in the population of Pravishte was recorded due to the massacre and migration.