Members of Armenia’s National Assembly observed a minute of silence on the 27th anniversary of the October 27, 1999 attack on parliament.
Before the start of the regular session, National Assembly Deputy Speaker Ruben Rubinyan called on lawmakers to honor those killed, Sputnik Armenia reports.
“Dear colleagues, exactly 27 years ago today, terrorist acts committed in this chamber claimed the lives of the then speaker of the National Assembly, deputy speakers, prime minister, a government member and lawmakers. I propose that we honor the memory of the victims of this crime with a minute of silence,” Rubinyan said.
Representatives of the Strong Armenia faction also commemorated the victims in the courtyard of the National Assembly before the session.
Speaking to journalists, faction leader Narek Karapetyan called for all the circumstances surrounding the attack to be established, while saying that political speculation over the case was unacceptable.
“I believe there are many questions, and the responsible investigative authorities should be the ones to address them. My father was also in the National Assembly building at the time, and there are many families who still have questions. We need to understand what happened,” Karapetyan said.
He also called for efforts to overcome divisions in society and curb hate speech, arguing that such rhetoric can contribute to radicalization.
Referring to a recent statement by the Prosecutor General’s Office, Karapetyan said it contained information about evidence-gathering measures and interrogations. He added, however, that the public had been receiving broadly similar explanations for the past seven years.
On October 27, 1999, an armed group led by Nairi Hunanyan entered the National Assembly chamber and opened fire, killing eight state and political figures: parliamentary speaker Karen Demirchyan, Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan, deputy speakers Yuri Bakhshyan and Ruben Miroyan, Minister for Operational Affairs Leonard Petrosyan, and lawmakers Armenak Armenakyan, Henrikh Abrahamyan and Mikayel Kotanyan.
The investigation lasted about a year and a half, followed by two and a half years of court proceedings.
In 2003, Nairi Hunanyan, his brother Karen Hunanyan, their uncle Vram Galstyan, Derenik Bejanyan, Edik Grigoryan, Norayr Yeghiazaryan and Ashot Knyazyan were sentenced to life imprisonment. Hamlet Stepanyan received a 14-year prison sentence. Four of the eight members of the group subsequently died.
