On March 15, 1921, in Berlin, Germany, Soghomon Tehlirian, a young Armenian, shot and killed former Ottoman Minister of the Interior Mehmed Talaat. The young assassin had sought revenge for the murder of his family. Talaat had been a key figure in the ruling party of the Ottomans during World War I—and had a prominent hand in orchestrating the genocide of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians.
As Minister of the Interior, Talaat oversaw the confiscation of Armenian properties and the implementation of deportations—which turned into death marches—as thousands and thousands of Armenians perished from exposure, starvation, and massacre. In 1919 and 1920 Turkish courts tried Talaat in absentia for war crimes, reaching a guilty verdict and sentencing him to death. At the time of the verdict, Talaat, who was living safely in Germany, had temporarily evaded justice for mass murder. Soghomon Tehlirian made sure Talaat did not evade justice for long.
The trial of Soghomon Tehlirian for the murder of Talaat began on June 2, 1921. Tehlirian’s killing of Talaat was not in question; in fact, he freely admitted, “I have killed a man, but I am not a murderer.”
In the German Penal Code of 1870—still in effect at the time of the trial—the punishment for murder depended on several factors, one of which was whether Tehlirian had been driven by anger or insulted by his victim. If Tehlirian’s defense could prove that Talaat was responsible for the Armenian Genocide, it would mitigate his chances for conviction.
The trial had essentially two verdicts on display for the world: Tehlirian’s for the premeditated murder of Talaat and Talaat’s for orchestrating the Armenian genocide.
Trial Materials:
Tehlirian’s trial simulation includes 18 witnesses representing Armenian survivors, German officers, Armenian scholars, police detectives, German eyewitnesses, British journalists, psychologists, and Tehlirian. Three exhibits are also included to be presented at trial. 
The simulation includes roles for two prosecutors, two defense attorneys, and a judge (played by the teacher). Every student in the class will have a role as a witness, defendant, attorney, or juror. All witnesses are real historical figures who will testify to actual historical events.
The trial resources include a teacher’s guide explaining the historical significance of the trial, along with student background information on the historical context, time period, and circumstances in which the case is situated. Students are also provided with key terms, a timeline of significant events, and role sheets that give each student specific information their character can testify to.  
Additional materials include information on the trial’s aftermath, discussion questions, and guidelines for effective student attorneys, witnesses, and jurors. Rubrics are also included to assess attorneys, witnesses, and jurors.