ARMENIA MARKS 85TH ANNIVERSARY OF SOGHOMON TEYLERYAN’S RETALIATION ACTION

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 16, 2006

YEREVAN, March 16. /ARKA/. Armenia marked 85th anniversary of action
of retaliation committed by Soghomon Teyleryan in 1921 in Berlin
against the then Ottoman Empire’s Home minister Talaat-Pasha, who
was one of the 1915 Armenian Genocide masterminds. Dashnaktsuthun
Armenian party board member and MP Armen Rustamyan said at the ceremony
dedicated to this event that nowadays the retaliation act hasn’t lost
its significance. It is remarkable, he said, that the patriot was
acquitted by German count and his victim, in fact, remains convicted
forever. Talaat killing was one of Nemesis operation’s actions, which
showed that punishment of those implicated in genocide shouldn’t be
considered as crime, Rustamyan said.

He condemned Turkey’s attempts to use today’s worldwide struggle
against terrorism for tarnishing Teyleryan’s reputation saying his
retaliation action has nothing in common with those inhuman acts
pursuing obscure goals. “Teyleryan’s goal was kind, just and true.

And the court proved it”, the MP said.

Armenian student Soghomon Teyleryan shot down Ottoman Empire’s Home
minister Talaat-Pasha in Berlin on March 15, 1921. Talaat-Pash
was among those Ottoman Empire’s top officials having their part
in orchestrating the 1915 Armenian Genocide. Later Teyleryan was
acquitted by Berlin court’s jurors.

The killing was designed by Dashnaktsutyun party as part of a series of
operations called Nemesis. Under the Dashnaktsutyun-worked out scheme,
Ottoman Empire Home Minister Talaat-Pasha, former PM Said Halim, former
Trapezund governor Jemal Azmi, special organization leader Behaetdin
Shakir and former Naval Forces Minister Jemal-Pasha have been killed.

Besides, former Turkish Military Minister Enver-Paha who headed
counter-soviet movement in Turkistan in 20s, was killed by Russian
Red Army commander of Armenian descent Yakov Melkumov.