Today is the 20th anniversary of the deadly shootings in the National Assembly (NA) of Armenia.
As a result of the crime committed 20 years ago, NA President Karen Demirchyan, Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan, Vice Presidents Yuri Bakhshyan and Ruben Miroyan, MPs Armenak Armenakyan, Henrik Abrahamyan, Mikael Kotanyan, and Deputy Minister of Operations Leonard Petrosyan were killed.
The gunmen were Nairi Hunanyan, Karen Hunanyan, Eduard Grigoryan, Vram Galstyan, and Derenik Bejanyan.
The head of the “October 27” operation was Nairi Hunanyan. Later Hunanyan testified and stated that he had terrorist plans at the state level in 1991, but was unable to carry out due to circumstances.
The court verdict in the “October 27” case was published on December 2, 2003.
According to the court ruling, six convicts—including their head Nairi Hunanyan, his brother Karen Hunanyan, their uncle Vram Galstyan, Derenik Bejanyan, Edik Grigoryan and Ashot Knyazyan—were sentenced to life imprisonment. Hamlet Stepanyan was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
According to the official version, Vram Galstyan committed suicide on April 27, 2004 in his solitary confinement cell.
Hamlet Stepanyan died of a heart attack in May 2010.
One of the defendants in the case, Norayr Yeghiazaryan, died of electric shock, before the verdict was announced, in his prison cell.
Eduard Grigoryan died on November 3, 2017 in hospital.
The defendants were found guilty under Articles 300 (usurpation of state power), 305 (murder of state, political or public figure), 34-305 (attempted usurpation of power), 217 (terrorism), 133 (unlawful deprivation of liberty), and 235 (illegal weapons acquisition, selling, carrying) of the Criminal Code.
