23.05.2025


The book presentation of Austrian journalist, former diplomat, and human rights advocate Birgit Kofler-Bettschart’s book “I have Killed, but I Am Not a Murderer: The Armenian Genocide, Victims’ Revenge, and Operation Nemesis” took place at the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI).

The book explores one of the most extraordinary and covert missions of the 20th century; Operation Nemesis, which targeted the unpunished masterminds and perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide.

It presents the stories of all known participants of the operation. The event was attended by descendants of Nemesis operatives, members of parliament, historians, writers, cultural figures, and other public personalities.

AGMI Director Edita Gzoyan, in her welcome speech, emphasized the national significance of Operation Nemesis for the Armenian people. She highlighted the importance of examining this pivotal secret mission from a foreign perspective and noted its influence on the development of international law. In particular, she pointed out that Raphael Lemkin, the jurist who coined the term genocide, followed the 1921 trial of Soghomon Tehlirian (a key Nemesis figure) during his student years. That experience led Lemkin to study crimes against humanity, culminating in the creation of the term “genocide” and the adoption of the 1948 UN Genocide Convention. Despite its emphasis on prevention and punishment, Gzoyan remarked, these principles often fail in practice—as seen in the case of Artsakh.

Author Birgit Kofler-Bettschart noted that the book was published in German last year with the goal of raising awareness about the Armenian Genocide in German-speaking countries. Her visit to Armenia and research at the AGMI inspired her to publish a translation in Armenian. She stressed that her aim was to show the consequences of genocide going unpunished.

Other speakers included Gohar Khanumyan, AGMI’s Chief Archivist and a major contributor to the book’s preparation; Hayk Martirosyan, researcher at the Johannes Lepsius House-Archive in Potsdam; and Armen Gevorgyan, great-nephew of Artashes Gevorgyan, one of the figures related to the Nemesis operation, also delivered the words.