20 Years Since the Tragedy of October 27 at 5:00 PM

On October 27, 1999, at 5:00 PM, a government session was nearing its end. It was the traditional question and answer time with the government when armed individuals burst into the meeting hall and opened fire, targeting the President of the National Assembly Karen Demirchyan and Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan.

The armed individuals included Nairi Hunanyan, Karen Hunanyan, Eduard Grigoryan, Vram Galstyan, and Derenik Bejanian. Their gunfire resulted in the deaths of eight people: National Assembly President Karen Demirchyan, Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan, Deputy Speakers Ruben Miroyan and Yuri Bakshyan, Minister of Operational Issues Leonard Petrosyan, and MPs Armenak Armenakyan, Henrik Abrahamyan, and Mikayel Kotanyan.

The leader of the actions that took place on October 27 was Nairi Hunanyan, a former member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation who had been expelled from the party in 1992. Later, Hunanyan testified and claimed that he had intended to carry out terrorist plans on a state level as early as 1991 but could not execute them due to circumstances.

It should be noted that the verdict in the 'October 27 case' was announced on December 2, 2003. According to the decision of the Yerevan Court, six individuals were sentenced to life imprisonment, and one person received a 14-year prison term. The six convicts, including their leader Nairi Hunanyan, his brother Karen Hunanyan, his uncle Vram Galstyan, Derenik Bejanian, Edik Grigoryan, and Ashot Knyazyan, were sentenced to life imprisonment. Hamlet Stepanyan was sentenced to 14 years.

Among the life-sentenced individuals, Nairi and Karen Hunanyan, Derenik Bejanian, and Ashot Knyazyan are still alive. According to the official version, Vram Galstyan committed suicide on April 27, 2004, in his solitary cell at 'Nubarashen' penitentiary. Hamlet Stepanyan died in May 2010 from a heart attack. Another defendant, Norair Yeghiazaryan, died before the verdict was announced due to electrocution in his cell at 'Nubarashen' penitentiary. Eduard Grigoryan died on November 3, 2017, at the 'Erebuni' Medical Center.

The defendants were found guilty under articles 300 (Usurpation of state power), 305 (Assassination of a state, political, or public figure), 34-305 (Attempt to usurp power), 217 (Terrorism), 133 (Unlawful deprivation of liberty), 235 (Unlawful acquisition, sale, or possession of weapons) of the Criminal Code.

Now, 20 years after the terrorist attack in Parliament, Nairi Hunanyan has submitted a request for early release. The request is under consideration.

According to the BBC, the number of injured reached 30. Ninety-one MPs and journalists covering the session were deprived of the opportunity to leave the National Assembly. They were given this possibility only the following day, at dawn, when the terrorists laid down their weapons. Meanwhile, Nairi Hunanyan continued to fire in the hall, periodically checking if this was being broadcast live on the radio and demanding that people gather outside the National Assembly building. The terrorists did not make any political demands.

Later, Nairi Hunanyan would recount how he gathered an armed group and entered the National Assembly: “On the mentioned day, Nairi Hunanyan, Karen Hunanyan, Vram Galstyan, and Edik Grigoryan drove to the canal near the southwestern district in a white 'Gaz 24' car. Derenik Bejanian also arrived there, whose car was a 'Raf' model. Edik told Derenik to follow them. Approaching the National Assembly, they took their weapons and entered the building. Around 5:00 PM, they entered the Assembly hall and fired several shots into the air. Afterwards, noticing that shots were being fired at them from the left side of the back of the hall and from the room next to the presidency, he began to fire indiscriminately. After that, he passed through the journalists' section and led them to the right side of the foyer.”

The terrorists demanded live broadcasting and a meeting with President Robert Kocharian. This meeting took place two hours later when Hunanyan provided security guarantees to the president. Around 7 PM, Robert Kocharian and Nairi Hunanyan met in a separate room. According to testimonies from the second president, Hunanyan demanded security guarantees for them, which were granted. He asked whether the death penalty was in effect in Armenia. Kocharian replied that it was not being applied in pursuit of joining the European Council. Hunanyan expressed a desire to be safely taken to the NSS isolation. In response, the president demanded that they surrender their weapons. They agreed that Hunanyan would keep one pistol, which he would hand over upon arrival at the isolation facility. Kocharian noted that to avoid retaliation, they would be transported in an armored vehicle.

From the testimony of former President Robert Kocharian, “When I asked him whether he had any personal animosity towards Vazgen Sargsyan, he answered negatively and began complaining about the situation in the country, about the role of Vazgen Sargsyan, claiming that he was allegedly hindering the country's development and was to blame for the existing situation, etc., and that upheaval was necessary in the country, and he undertook this action on behalf of the people so that history and future generations would appreciate him, that he too had been shot at. Other victims, besides Vazgen Sargsyan, were the result of random shots.”

This case was examined by the court for three years. In December 2003, Norak Marash Regional Judge Samvel Uzunyan announced the sentences for the terrorist group: Nairi Hunanyan, Karen Hunanyan, Vram Galstyan, Derenik Bejanian, Edik Grigoryan, and Ashot Knyazyan—life imprisonment; Hamlet Stepanyan—14 years imprisonment. Another defendant, Norair Yeghiazaryan, was electrocuted in Nubarashen prison before the verdict was announced. Incidentally, he was an electrician by profession. Karen Hunanyan is serving his sentence in 'Yerevan-Center' penitentiary. According to the official version, Vram Galstyan committed suicide in his solitary cell on April 27, 2004, in 'Nubarashen' penitentiary. Edik Grigoryan also died on November 3, 2017, in a solitary cell in 'Nubarashen' penitentiary. Hamlet Stepanyan died in May 2010 in 'Nubarashen' penitentiary from a heart attack. Currently, three convicts from the terrorist group are serving their sentence: Nairi Hunanyan and his brother Karen are in 'Yerevan-Center' penitentiary.

According to court testimony, Nairi Hunanyan organized the operation on his own initiative, detailing the plans, involving accomplices and acquiring weapons to enter the National Assembly. Twenty years after the crime and his incarceration, Nairi Hunanyan has applied for conditional early release. The request is under consideration.