Armin T. Wegner was a witness to the Armenian Genocide. During World War I, he volunteered as a nurse with the German Sanitary Corps which was attached to Ottoman forces. Between 1915-1916, he documented what he saw on the forced marches of Armenians in his diary and conditions in deportation camps. He took hundreds of photographs at great personal risk. The Ottoman government discovered his work in 1916 and transferred him to Baghdad, then eventually to Germany. On his way out, he concealed his notes and photographic plates beneath his clothes.
Watch testimony from Armin Wegner and reflect on what he shares about being a witness to these events.
About The Interviewee
Armin Theophil Wegner was born on October 16, 1886 in Elberfeld, Germany. After returning to Germany in 1916, he published a personal documentation of all he had witnessed during the Armenian Genocide. In 1919, he wrote an open letter to the United States President, Woodrow Wilson, declaring all that he had witnessed.
Later in 1933, Armin wrote a letter calling on the Nazis to discontinue their discrimination against Jews and sent a copy to Nazi party headquarters. The Nazis arrested him and imprisoned him for his advocacy, sending him to several concentration camps. After his release, Armin fled Germany and lived the rest of his life in exile, eventually settling in Rome. Armin was interviewed by the Armenian Film Foundation in Rome, Italy, on May 24, 1972. He died on May 17, 1978 in Rome.