Said Halim Pasha

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Said Halim Pasha

Said Halim Pasha (January 18, 1865 - December 6, 1921), Ottoman Empire Grand Vizier from 1913-16. Born January 18, 1865 in Cairo, Egypt, he was the grandson of Muhammad Ali of Egypt, "founder of modern Egypt"^[1].

He was one of the signers in Ottoman-German Alliance. Yet, he resigned after the incident of the pursuit of Goeben and Breslau, an event which served to cement the Ottoman-German alliance during World War I. It is claimed that Mehmed V wanted a person in whom he trusted as Vizier, and that he asked Said Halim to stay in his post as long as possible. Said Halim's second term lasted until 1916, made short because of continuous clashes between him and the Committee of Union and Progress, which was the Imperial Government of the Ottoman Empire.

During the military trials of World War I in the Ottoman Empire, he was accused of treason as he had his signature under Ottoman-German Alliance. He was exiled May 29, 1919 to a prison on Malta^[2]. He was acquitted from the accusations and set free in 1921 at which time he moved to Sicily. He wanted to return to the Turkish capital, Constantinopole in 1921, but this request was rejected. He was assassinated soon after by agents of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation for his role in the Armenian Genocide.