Lozan Bağlamında Türk-Yunan Esir Değişimi: Uluslararası Kızılhaç Komitesi’nin (ICRC) Gözlemleri ve Raporlarıyla Tarihsel Bir İnceleme
The Turkish-Greek Prisoner Exchange within the Framework of Lausanne: A Historical Analysis Based on the Observations and Reports of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

Summary/Abstract: The advance of the Turkish army in September 1922, which cleared Anatolia of occupying forces and directed attention to the Straits and Thrace, brought the peace process to the forefront and culminated in the signing of the Mudanya Armistice, effectively ending the war. At the Lausanne Conference, which began on November 20, 1922, the exchange of civilian detainees and military prisoners emerged as one of the priority issues. The agreement signed between Turkey and Greece on January 30, 1923, stipulated that both parties would exchange all civilian detainees and an equivalent number of military prisoners. The remaining prisoners in Turkish custody would be repatriated following the signing of the peace treaty. This study examines the Turkish-Greek exchange of civilian and military prisoners based on the reports of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The ICRC’s close monitoring and documentation of the issue provide significant insights into both the pre-Lausanne period and the implementation process of the agreement's related provisions. In 1922 and 1923, the Committee sent two temporary missions to Greece and Anatolia to visit prisoners and civilians and to gather reports. While some of these documents have been used in previous studies on prisoner exchanges, this research evaluates the ICRC’s claim of impartiality by examining the records comprehensively. Furthermore, the study highlights details from Dr. Paul Schatzmann’s report on the camps for Turkish prisoners in Greece, which are presented for the first time. Period newspapers and Hilal-i Ahmer journals constitute the other primary sources of this research.

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