His career in Ottoman politics began by becoming deputy for Adrianople ( Edirne ) in 1908 , then minister of the interior and minister of finance , and finally grand vizier ( equivalent to prime minister ) in 1917 . Acting as the minister of interior , Talaat Pasha ordered on 24 April 1915 the arrest and deportation of Armenian intellectuals in Constantinople , most of them being ultimately murdered , and on 30 May 1915 requested the Tehcir Law ( Temporary Deportation Law ) ; these events initiated the Armenian Genocide . He is widely considered the main perpetrator of the genocide , and thus is held responsible for the death of between 800,000 and 1,800,000 Armenians
arrest and deportation
Deportation of Armenian intellectuals on 24 April 1915
Talaat Pasha