Alen Simonyan Recalls Political Tensions Before October 27 Tragedy

Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Alen Simonyan posted on his Facebook page: "It was 1999, and I was a fourth-year law student at YSU. A year earlier, Levon Ter-Petrosyan had resigned, and in the subsequent presidential elections, Karen Demirchyan had declared his candidacy. He appeared on Robert Mavisakalyan’s show, charming everyone with his words, demeanor, and directness. He was a confident, knowledgeable, and strong man. The presidential elections were falsified, and Robert Kocharian was declared president. Vazgen Sargsyan and Karen Demirchyan joined forces to create the Unity Alliance. It was said that the establishment of this alliance explained the absence of post-election processes following the rigged elections. The alliance achieved a resounding victory in the National Assembly elections. Kocharian found himself isolated. The situation escalated to the point where a journalist asked if he felt like the English queen. Vazgen traveled to the U.S., returned, and announced that new changes awaited Armenia.

It was October 27 when Nairi Hunanyan entered the National Assembly hall with his accomplices. Serzh Sargsyan was the head of the NSS, but there were claims that he was not in the country. There were also talks that just a few days before, Vazgen had argued with Kocharian at Baghramyan 26 and had slammed the door on his way out. It was also surprising that a person who had just deliberately assassinated Demirchyan, who was greatly beloved by the public, was calling on the people to come and support him. Despite the recent assassination of the National Assembly leadership, the Prime Minister, and the parliament members, President Robert Kocharian came to the National Assembly and negotiated with Nairi, who soon surrendered.

This is what my memory recalls as a 19-year-old student standing in front of the National Assembly building, trying to understand what had happened."