Wolfgang Gust, Renowned Journalist and Historian of the Armenian Genocide, Dies at 91 (1935–2026)

It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Wolfgang Gust, a distinguished German journalist, historian, and author.

Gust worked for many years at the renowned German magazine Der Spiegel, where he served as an editor and correspondent in the foreign affairs department. He gained international recognition for his valuable research on the Armenian Genocide and the history of the Ottoman Empire. His contribution to the international recognition, condemnation, and public understanding of the Armenian Genocide was immense.

Wolfgang Gust carried out extensive and highly important work in studying and publishing documents related to the Armenian Genocide preserved in the political archives of the German Foreign Ministry. In particular, he was able to demonstrate that many of the documents published by Johannes Lepsius in 1919 had been altered and abridged at the time, thereby concealing Germany’s complicity, as an ally of the Ottoman Empire, in the crimes committed against Armenians during World War I.

His landmark work, The Armenian Genocide: Evidence from the Archives of the German Foreign Office, 1915–1916, is a collection of historical documents that includes hundreds of confidential diplomatic telegrams, reports, and letters. The publication had a significant impact on the German Bundestag’s official recognition of the Armenian Genocide in 2016, as it irrefutably exposed the criminal intent of the Young Turk government to carry out the complete annihilation of the Armenian people.

It is also noteworthy that, together with his wife, Ingrid Gust, Wolfgang Gust digitized and made available online some of the most important archival documents, which were later translated into several languages. His works strengthened the factual foundation upon which German public and political discussions on the recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide developed over many years.

For his dedicated work, Wolfgang Gust was awarded a high state honor by 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 extends its deepest condolences to Wolfgang Gust’s family members, relatives, colleagues, and all those who knew him and valued his legacy.