citing the inefficient and corrupt nature of the Ottoman state, and the fractured nature of its society. Imprisonment and death He served briefly in İzmir as governor of the vilayet of Aydin, but on 17 May 1881, after only a few months on that post, he was arrested. Ahmed Cevdet Pasha, the justice minister, brought him to Istanbul, where he was charged with the murder of Sultan Abdülaziz. The interrogation and court proceedings took place at Yildiz. In conclusion, he was convicted and charged with the murder, and was sentenced to death. However the execution was commuted to life imprisonment in Taif in Hejaz. Some historians claim that these to be trumped-up accusations as they believe that confessions were extracted from some suspects through the use of torture, and the use of forged evidence and paid witnesses led to his conviction. However, they claim that the British pressure impeded his execution, so he was imprisoned in the fortress of Taif, in Hejaz. It was reported that, soon after his arrival, the Emir of Mecca received a message from Istanbul demanding the death of Midhat from "an accident". The incumbent Emir Abdul Muttalib was a close friend of Midhat however, and no action was taken by him. As a result, Osman Pasha, governor of Hejaz, surrounded the Emir's summer residence in Taif and imprisoned him. After that, Midhat Pasha's fate was sealed. He was assassinated in his cell on 26 April 1883. Gallery References External links Death of Midhat Pasha, the Career of the Great Reformer in Turkey from the New York Times (12 May 1884) The life of Midhat Pasha (1903 biography) Page images at the Internet Archive transcribed text at Project Gutenberg Pashas 1822 births 1883 deaths Civil servants from the Ottoman Empire Exiles from the Ottoman Empire 19th-century Grand Viziers of the Ottoman Empire Ottoman governors of Damascus Executed people from the Ottoman Empire Assassinated people from the Ottoman Empire Ottoman governors of Aidin Politicians from Istanbul 19th-century executions by the Ottoman Empire Reform in the Ottoman Empire Ottoman governors of Baghdad Baghdad vilayet