On April 24, 1915, Shavarsh Krissian was one of the Armenian notables deported into the interior provinces of the Ottoman Empire as part of the Armenian genocide. He was sent to the Ayaş prison in the province of Ankara. During his prison sentence, Krissian organized gymnastic exercises. However, once news reached the deportees of Ayaş about the 20 Hunchakian gallows of 15 June 1915, the atmosphere in the prison was abruptly changed. The prison guards viewed the gymnastic exercises with suspicion and severity. Shavarsh Krissian was eventually rounded up and killed in the outskirts of Ankara.