Soghomon Teyleryan is the people's avenger of Armenians, famous for the scandalous murder of the former dictator Talaat Pasha. His name will forever remain in history, since his deeds deserve it. After all, despite all the cruelty of his act, he only avenged the death of many of his brothers.
Soghomon Teyleryan: biography of the early years
Soghomon was born on April 2, 1897 in the small village of Nerkin-Bagari, which was located in the east of the Ottoman Empire. His parents were simple workers, so they did not have the right amount of money for a carefree life. Tired of all this, the elder Teylerian leaves for Serbia in the hope of settling in there and eventually taking his family there.
However, as soon as he returned from Serbia, he was imprisoned for six months. But, worst of all, because of this, his family was deported to the city of Erzincan, which subsequently played a terrifying role in the history of their family. As for Soghomon, he quickly put up with the move and enrolled in a local Protestant school.
Coup in the country
On January 23, 1913, a coup d'etat takes place in the country, during which Enver Pasha kills Nazym Pasha and usurps power. The policy of the new leader is characterized by extremely radical views based on the purity of the nation. On the whole, it can be compared with Nazism in Germany, with the slight difference that here the root of all evil lay in religious differences.
So, the Armenian people, not being Muslim, were despised and considered second-rate. In addition, the authorities always exposed Armenians as a model of meanness and cunning, which added fuel to the fire even more. Therefore, when the new leader ordered to wipe them off the face of the earth in April 1915, the soldiers immediately began to carry out this order.
Horrors of Armenian Genocide
Soghomon Teylerian, like no other, was aware of the pain that came with the new government. After all, he witnessed how his hometown turned into a real slaughter. Later, he will tell the whole world how state troops killed his family and friends, covering houses and streets with rivers of scarlet blood.
At the same time, terrible fate did not pass by Soghomon himself. Sisters and mother were raped before his eyes. They were later executed together with their brother in the house where they spent most of their lives. Soghomon Teyleryan himself survived by a miracle: a wounded man was thrown into a pile of dead bodies, counting as a corpse.
He did not remember how much lay there, but he did not die. He decided not to go about fate and go over everything that she had prepared for him. Therefore, waiting for the cover of night, Soghomon fled. Passing many obstacles, he ended up in Constantinople, where he lived for the next five years. And at the beginning of 1920, he emigrated to the United States in the hope of finding support among immigrant relatives.
In search of revenge
Arriving in a new world, Soghomon Teyleryan found like-minded people who, like him, sought to avenge the country's bloody elite. The political party “Dashnaktsutyun” became the heart of this movement. It was she who developed the sensational punitive operation called “Nemesis”.
“Nemesis” is a carefully elaborated plan of revenge for all those who are guilty of the genocide of the Armenian people. Initially, the list of potential enemies included more than 600 people, but, given the party's limited capabilities, their number was reduced to 41. This included the most hated people who stood at the top of the Ottoman Empire.
Naturally, Soghomon Teylerian could not miss his chance and joined the ranks of those who were destined to become the punishing hand of “justice”. He knew that he would do everything possible in order to avenge such hated enemies who dared to defile his people and family.
The killing of Talaat Pasha
In the corner of the room sat Soghomon Teyleryan. A photo of his victim lay nearby on the table. Of all the participants in Operation Nemesis, he was honored to kill the main one, Talaat Pasha. The man knew that this man signed most of the orders, which later became death sentences for his relatives. Therefore, he did not feel pity for him, but only reflected on how he would commit the act of retribution.
The execution of the former Minister of the Interior of Talaat Pasha took place on March 15, 1921. Soghomon, on the heels of his victim, brought him to one of the squares of Berlin. Then he called out to Talaat Pasha and publicly shot him from his pistol. After that, the young Armenians surrendered to the police without further ado, dutifully accepting their future fate.
The court's decision
Soon, the German authorities began a trial in the case of Soghomon Teylerian. It was significant that it was here that Europe first learned about the horrors that the Ottoman Empire was doing with the Armenian people. This caused a real shock to the audience, which played an important role in making the final decision.
So, in June 1921, a German court acquitted Soghomon Teyleryan, citing the fact that the crime was completely influenced by deep emotional trauma. Later, the French writer J. Chalian noted: “This event is a rare example of justifiable violence. After all, only having committed it, it was possible to restore justice, thereby honoring the memory of the victims of the bloody massacre. "
The fate of the people's avenger
After the acquittal, the victim of the Armenian Genocide, Soghomon Teyleryan went to live in Serbia. Here he met the wonderful woman Anahit, who later became his wife. In early 1951, they moved to the United States with their children.
Soghomon Teyleryan died in old age, namely on May 23, 1960. Today, his grave is located in the city of Fresno, near California.