Armenia’s former military prosecutor Gagik Jhangiryan has claimed that the country’s security service received advance information about plans for the October 27, 1999 attack on parliament.
Jhangiryan referred to Melkon Yesayan, a major at the Information Center who testified as a witness in the case. According to Jhangiryan, Yesayan attended a birthday gathering for Edik Grigoryan at which Nairi Hunanyan allegedly spoke about plans to enter the National Assembly, shoot people and seize power, Radar.am reports.
“According to the information I have, Melkon Yesayan reported this to his superior, the head of the main directorate, who then referred him to the relevant main operational directorate responsible for preventing such actions,” Jhangiryan said.
He also cited testimony he attributed to Yesayan: “The security service knows about it. They won’t even manage to enter the National Assembly chamber.”
Jhangiryan separately raised questions about the absence of an appeal by Hunanyan against his life sentence.
“Nairi Hunanyan did not file an appeal. He portrayed himself as Armenia’s savior and ran as a presidential candidate in 2003, but did not appeal the court ruling sentencing him to life imprisonment,” Jhangiryan said.
The former military prosecutor claimed, however, that he believed Hunanyan had submitted an appeal that was prevented from reaching the appellate court.
“I am certain he submitted that appeal. It simply contained things that the authorities of the day considered dangerous to make public in court or have examined by the appellate court,” he said.
Jhangiryan did not provide evidence for that assertion in the remarks cited.
