What Do We Have Three Years After the Change of Power Regarding the October 27 Case

'Zhoghvorud' newspaper writes: 'October 27, 1999, was also a Wednesday - the day of a question and answer session between the government and the National Assembly of Armenia, when eight state officials were shot dead, led by National Assembly Speaker Karen Demirchyan and Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan. To this day, the criminal case initiated on this occasion raises questions.

About two years ago, in December 2019, the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia accepted a complaint from the lawyer of the late National Assembly Vice President Yuri Bakhsheyan's widow, Anahit Bakhsheyan, regarding the new investigation into the part of the October 27 case that was separated and closed. It should be recalled that this part of the case was separated in 2000 to determine whether there were other participants, instigators, and possible organizers of the crime. However, four years later, the Prosecutor General's Office closed it for lack of a criminal incident.

Nearly two years after reopening the closed case, no new public details have emerged regarding it. 'Zhoghvorud' newspaper learned that many people have been questioned, and documents have been examined within the framework of the case. This information was confirmed to us in an interview by the advisor to the prosecutor, Gor Abrahamyan. 'Yes, there have been numerous questionings, and a large number of documents have been seized. The Prosecutor's Office has instructed the NSS and the investigative department to conduct operational and investigative measures. These are currently ongoing,' Abrahamyan mentioned during our conversation.

He explained the lack of publications regarding the case for about two years by stating that it involves a significant amount of confidentiality. 'There are no new charges,' he said and assured, 'The investigation of the case has not been examined.' However, Abrahamyan did not elaborate on who has been summoned for questioning in connection with the case.

In an interview with 'Zhoghvorud' newspaper, Anahit Bakhsheyan's lawyer, Zarouhi Mejlumyan, mentioned that Bakhsheyan had been summoned for questioning only once in two years. Mejlumyan herself also does not possess additional details.

It should be noted that Anahit Bakhsheyan linked the reopening of the aforementioned case to a change in political course in Armenia. After the political reorganization of 2018, the legal successors of the victims of October 27 were indeed hopeful that Nikol Pashinyan's government would commit to fully uncovering the tragic crime. However, the reality is that more than three years after the change of power, law enforcement representatives have not only failed to unveil and present new information regarding the crime that claimed the lives of eight people, but also shortly after sending the case for a new investigation, Judge Samvel Uzunyan, linked to the 'October 27' case, left Armenia.'

For more details, see today's issue of the newspaper.