Today marks the 26th anniversary of one of the most serious crimes in Armenia’s modern history, the October 27, 1999, terrorist attack.
On that day, a gang led by Nairi Hunanyan stormed the National Assembly hall at around 5 p.m. during a question-and-answer session with the government. They opened fire in the hall, killing the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, Karen Demirchyan, Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan, Deputy Speakers of the National Assembly, Yuri Bakhshyan and Ruben Miroyan, MPs Armenak Armenakyan, Mikael Kotanyan, Henrik Abrahamyan, and Minister Leonard Petrosyan. Eight more people were injured in the shooting.
The armed attackers held the MPs and members of the government hostage until morning. The next day, on October 28, they surrendered to law enforcement agencies following negotiations.
In December 2003, the court sentenced Nairi Hunanyan and five members of his gang to life imprisonment.
The crime was well-prepared, meticulously planned.
Although 26 years have passed, the October 27 case remains unsolved. Relatives of the victims and broad sections of society claim that the perpetrators and organizers of the crime have not yet been identified. The investigation into the separate part of the case is ongoing, but there are no defendants in that part to date.
