Armenian citizens were under the rule of the Ottoman Empire and were being treated unfairly for being Christian. The Ottoman Empire was Muslim majority, and the Armenians were thought less of. In 1885 one of the first massacres of Armenian citizens happened and most of the casualties were women and children. Armenians wanted to be free and had the support of Christian European countries. During 1894-1896 between 200-250,000 Armenians were killed for revolting against the Ottoman Empire. In 1908 the Armenians won 14 seats in the parliament but in 1909 the throne was taken and given to Mehmed V. 25,000 Armenians were slaughtered in Adana, the attack was carried out by the Young Turks. Most of the murders were carried out in 1915. Armenians were also deported because of supposed security threats; they were led on walks of hundreds of miles without food and shelter. Many died from dehydration and starvation. Great Britain, France, and Russia sent a statement to the Ottoman Empire calling their genocide a ‘crime against humanity’, the Empire’s response to this was denying and calling this untrue information. In 1918 a peace treaty between Turkey, Great Britain, and France was formed to create a new government and stop the genocide. The official peace treaty was signed into law in 1920, and by 1923 the old government had been eradicated.