Grigoris Balakian

On the way Balakian won the confidence of captain of constabulary Shukri Bey and learned about the Ottoman government's plan to exterminate the whole Armenian population.

He joined a group of workers on the Bagdad-railway where Turkish deserters did forced labor alongside Armenian refugees.

While Armenian workers between Marash and Bartche were being slain, Balakian fled to another construction site on the Bagdad railway.

He was helped by German engineers and finally succeeded – disguised as Herr Bernstein – in escaping from Constantinople to Paris.

At the 1921 trial in Berlin against Soghomon Tehlirian, the murderer of Talât Pasha, Balakian appeared as a witness for the defendant together with Johannes Lepsius.