Berlin to host “I’m not a killer” documentary performance

February 27, 2010 - 16:17 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net -
On March 5, within the framework of “100 Grad” festival, “I’m not a killer” film produced in documentary theatrical style will be presented in Berlin’s Hebbel am Ufer theatre. The film is a story telling about Armenian Genocide. Opening night of a play was held in Berlin’s Heimathafen theatre on February 12, second performance was on February 19.

5 actors and a musician (Armenian, Turkish, French and German origin performers) will be citing extracts from shorthanded entries of Soghomon Tehlirian’s trial, held in Berlin Criminal Court in 1921.

For the first time, the entries were published by “Berlin Publishing Society for Politicians W8”in 1921. Afterwards, second edition of the minutes was published by Tessa Hofmann, specializing in Armenian studies, in 1980-1985.

“Every time, right before the performance, Tessa Hofmann, briefly tells about the historical events. Afterwards, we (five actors) embody all the characters, by citing records of the trial. The performance aims to promote reconciliation and better understanding among nations and countries involved in the process,” performance actor Stepan Gantralyan told a PanARMENIAN.NET reporter.

According to him, mostly Armenian audience attended the first performance. Yet, during the second one, Germans, Turks and Kurds were also present.

“All the tickets for performances were sold. About 80 to 100 people were present,” Stepan Gantralyan said.

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, Italy, 45 U.S. states, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Argentina, Belgium, Austria, Wales, Switzerland, Canada, Poland, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, the Vatican, Luxembourg, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Sweden, Venezuela, Slovakia, Syria, Vatican, as well as the European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.

Soghomon Tehlirian

Soghomon Tehlirian was a native of Erzinjan, an Armenian Evangelical (Protestant) and Armenian Genocide survivor. During the Genocide he watched his sisters raped and family butchered by Turks while on the extermination marches, and although he too was injured and believed dead, he escaped and recovered. With the organization and direction of Shahan Natalie, Tehlirian assassinated the former Turkish Grand Vizir Talat Pasha in Berlin, Germany in broad daylight and in the presence of many witnesses on March 15, 1921 as an act of vengeance for his role in orchestrating the Armenian Genocide.

Tehlirian was tried for murder, but was eventually acquitted by the German court. The trial of Tehlirian was a rather sensationalized event at the time, with Tehlirian being defended by three defense attorneys, including Dr. Theodor Niemeyer, professor of Law at Kiel University.

The trial examined not only Tehlirian’s actions but also Tehlirian's conviction that Talat Pasha was the main author of the Armenian Genocide. The defense attorneys made no attempt to deny the fact that Tehlirian had killed a man, and instead focused on the influence of the Armenian Genocide on Tehlirian's mental state. It took the jury slightly over an hour to render a verdict of "not guilty" on grounds of temporary insanity.