In April 1915, the ruling Party of the Ottoman Empire, the Committee for Union
and Progress put into action a plan for the total destruction of the Armenians living under their jurisdiction. By the end of 1923 up to 1,500,000 had perished as a result of the implementation of the Ottoman government's genocidal policy. The manner in which the genocide was conducted is well documented and began with the arrest and murder of community leaders on April 24th 1915. The young male population was then disarmed and murdered, so as to instantly remove any real potential of defense of the population. Women, children and the elderly were then transported on death marches under the euphemism of 're-location'. Those who survived the frequent raids, rape and robbery en route, were eventually killed outright. Another aspect of the genocide was the absorption of young Armenians, particularly women, into Turkish families. These victims were converted to Islam and forced to live in denial of their heritage. It must also be noted that there were instances of courageous behavior by some Turks who were responsible for saving the lives of those slated for destruction.