20.05.2025


On May 17, the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute hosted the presentation of the memoir “Der Zor–Gulag” by Armenian Genocide survivor Tigran Makaryan.

The author, Tigran Makaryan, endured both the atrocities of Der Zor during the Armenian Genocide and later the Soviet GULAG camps under Stalin’s repressions. After studying engineering in Germany in the early 1920s, he repatriated to Soviet Armenia, where he played a key role in developing the republic’s energy sector. Over the years, he was arrested multiple times and exiled to Siberia, but eventually returned, had his unjust sentences overturned, resumed work, and achieved further professional success. His granddaughter is the renowned Armenian pop singer Elvina Makaryan.

The presentation opened with welcoming remarks by Harutyun Marutyan, chief editor of the museum’s series on memoirs of genocide survivors. He emphasized the uniqueness of this memoir: the author not only lived through two of the 20th century’s greatest tragedies but also recorded his experiences in writing.

AGMI researcher Robert Tatoyan, who conducted 2.5 years of research for this publication, uncovered new archival materials that enriched the memoir. In his talk, Tatoyan revealed a previously unknown historical episode: an armed uprising by Zeytuntsis in Der Zor. Though the revolt was quickly and brutally suppressed, it stands out as a moment of heroic resistance.

The event was attended by Hasmik Ter-Karapetyan—Makaryan’s former neighbor who donated the memoir to AGMI—as well as descendants of Tigran Makaryan, friends of Elvina Makaryan, and other guests.