Mss Eur F112/525

The file contains photographs and an article relating to executions and atrocities that took place in Tabriz in late 1911 and early 1912. Thirteen of the fifteen photographs (folios 1-10) depict the bodies of those murdered and executed by Russian troops and those of Samad Khan Shuja ud-Dowleh, a general of the ex-Shah of Persia and the Russian-backed Governor of Tabriz. Most of the victims will have been connected to the Constitutional Movement that was bringing about changes in the country at the time. In front and around the bodies stand Russian troops and officers, Persian troops, and other bystanders. The other two photographs (folio 11) are of the Ark, or citadel, where some of the Russian forces were based in the city.

The photographs were obtained by G D Turner, a member of the YMCA, who travelled to Tabriz in the second half of 1912. He claims he bought them from a postcard seller who also wrote the names of the victims he knew on the back of each photograph. Those contained in the file appear to be photographs of the originals, so names are present. The photographer(s) are unknown.

The article is from the 14 September 1912 issue of The Graphic. It is written by Lucien Wolf and is critical of the British Foreign Office's handling of events in Persia, with specific mention of the atrocities in Tabriz. It features reproductions of some of the photographs contained in this file.