Garegin Khazhak
Garegin Khazhak was an Armenian journalist, writer, political activist and educator. A member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, Khajag traveled around the world to help support revolutionary activity. During his life, Khazhak was imprisoned four times. He became a professor and a principal in several Armenian schools throughout the region. In 1915, Khazhak was arrested and subsequently killed during the Armenian genocide.
Life
Garegin Khazhak was born Garegin Chagalian on 6 October 1867 in Aleksandropol within the Russian Empire. He was called Chakal Oghli, which would later be rendered as Khazhak by those around him. In 1883, after attaining his early education locally, he continued his higher education at the Gevorgian Seminary. Graduating in 1886, Khazhak became a teacher and for seven years taught in parochial schools in Baku, Akulis, and Ganja. During his time in Baku, Khazhak joined the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. To further his education, Khajag went to Geneva, where he attended the University of Geneva and studied social sciences. While in Geneva, he began to contribute to the newspaper Droshak, an organ of the ARF.Immediately after his graduation in 1898, Khazhak was sent to the Balkans and then Alexandria by the editorial staff of Droshak. After staying in Alexandria for a year, he went to İzmir for six months and finally Constantinople, where he remained for two years.
Khazhak was imprisoned for eight months due to revolutionary activity. He was then exiled to the Caucasus where he continued his work as a teacher. He became the principal of the Armenian school in Shushi for two years. After his marriage, Khajag settled in Tiflis in 1903 and became one of the editors of the Armenian newspaper Mshak. While working for the newspaper, he also taught on the side at the Nersisyan School. In 1906, he became one of the founding editors of the newspaper Harach, working alongside Avetis Aharonian and Yeghisheh Topjian.
In 1908 he was arrested and sent to prison, where he remained for six months. After being released, Khazhak was arrested again and sent to prison nine months later.
After being released from prison in 1912, Khajag returned to Constantinople where he contributed to the local newspaper Azadamard, while becoming a principal of an Armenian school in the district of Samatya.