13.06.2026


It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Wolfgang Gust. A German journalist who served for many years as a foreign policy editor and correspondent for the renowned publication Der Spiegel, he was also an accomplished historian and author. He gained international recognition for his invaluable research on the history of the Armenian Genocide and the Ottoman Empire. His contribution to the international recognition and public awareness of the Armenian Genocide is immense.

Wolfgang Gust carried out extensive and critically important work in studying and publishing materials from the political archives of the German Foreign Ministry regarding the Armenian Genocide. Notably, he succeeded in proving that many of the documents published by Johannes Lepsius in 1919 had been altered and redacted at the time to conceal the complicity of Germany—the Ottoman Empire's ally—in the atrocities committed against the Armenians during World War I. His fundamental work, The Armenian Genocide: Evidence from the German Foreign Ministry Archives, 1915–1916, is a collection of historical documentary materials including hundreds of secret diplomatic telegrams, reports, and letters. It had a significant impact on the German Bundestag's official recognition of the Armenian Genocide in 2016, as it undeniably revealed the Young Turk government's criminal intentions regarding the complete annihilation of the Armenian people. It is noteworthy that, together with his wife, Ingrid Gust, Wolfgang Gust digitized and made these crucial archival documents available online, which have since been translated into several other languages. It is unequivocal that his works strengthened the factual foundation upon which German public and political discussions regarding the recognition and condemnation of the genocide developed over the years.

For his dedicated activities, Gust was honored with a high state award from the Republic of Armenia for his significant contribution to the international recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide.

The staff of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute expresses its deepest condolences to Wolfgang Gust's family members, relatives, colleagues, and all those who knew and appreciated his legacy.