Pontic Greek Genocide

Pontic Greek Genocide

On May 19, 1919, military operations intensified against Greek communities in the Pontus region along the Black Sea coast of the Ottoman Empire. The campaign formed part of broader actions against Christian minorities during and after World War I, targeting Pontic Greek populations in northeastern Anatolia.

Ottoman authorities and associated armed groups carried out deportations, forced marches, executions, village destruction, and labor battalion conscription. Civilians were relocated to interior regions under harsh conditions, resulting in deaths from starvation, disease, and exposure. Armed irregular units operated alongside state forces in rural and urban areas.

Between 1914 and 1923, estimates indicate that approximately 300,000 Pontic Greeks died. Survivors were displaced through expulsions and population transfers, including the 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey. The events significantly altered the demographic composition of the Black Sea region.