Monday, October 28 2019 12:35

ArmInfo. The day before, the memory of the victims of the terrorist attack in parliament on October 27, 1999 was honored in Yerevan. A number of high-ranking  officials, as well as deputies, politicians and high-ranking military  personnel laid flowers at the memorial in the courtyard of the  National Assembly. RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, paying tribute  to the victims of the crime, talked with the relatives of the victims  of the tragedy.

The speaker of the Armenian parliament, Ararat Mirzoyan, who is on an  official visit to Italy, said on his Facebook page that violence has  no place in public and political life, and a terrorist act in  parliament that disrupted the natural course of Armenia should be  condemned today, 20 years later.

In an interview with journalists, RA Minister of Defense David  Tonoyan, answering a question regarding doubts about the true  customers of the attack in society, noted that such facts cannot be  overlooked. "I am primarily interested in the fact that this case  will be solved if there are people who sent criminals," he stressed.

For his part, Aram Sargsyan noted that he had no doubt in the  interest of the country's leadership to identify the real customers  of the attack. Meanwhile, according to him, the current state of the  judicial system does not guarantee that confidence can be credited to  the results of the new investigation.

Sasun Mikaelyan, a deputy from the "My Step" faction, speaking about  the need for a full disclosure of the case, pointed out that the  first president of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan and the former  military prosecutor Gagik Dzhangiryan should answer a number of  questions. Noting that he did not rank Ter- Petrosyan among the  perpetrators, Mikaelyan drew attention to the fact that after the  terrorist act in parliament he urged everyone to rally around  then-President Robert Kocharian.

On October 27, 1999, a group of people led by Nairi Hunanyan,  bursting into the parliament, shot and killed the Prime Minister of  Armenia Vazgen Sargsyan, the Speaker of the National Assembly of the  Republic of Armenia Karen Demirchyan, the Vice Speakers Yuri  Bakhshyan and Ruben Miroyan, the Minister of Operational Affairs  Leonard Petrosyan and the deputies Armenak Armenikelyan Kotanyan and  Henrik Abrahamyan. The terrorist group included former journalist  Nairi Hunanyan, his brother Karen Hunanyan, their uncle Vram  Galstyan, as well as Derenik Bejanyan and Ashot Knyazyan. The trial  of them began on February 15, 2001 and lasted three years. Neither  the preliminary investigation nor the court proceedings allowed a  definitive answer to the question of whether the terrorists acted  independently or if someone was behind them. On December 2, 2003, the  Center-Nork-Marash trial court sentenced the Nairi and Karen Unanyan  brothers, Edik Grigoryan, Vram Galstyan (in 2004, according to the  official version, committed suicide), Derenik Bejanyan and Ashot  Knyazyan to life imprisonment. Hamlet Stepanyan was sentenced to 14  years in prison (In May 2010, his body was found in his bed in the  Nubarashen detention center). All seven were found guilty of treason  and terrorism. The Court of Cassation of Armenia upheld the verdict.

Earlier, Nairi Hunanyan, who is serving a life sentence in the  Yerevan Kentron colony, sent a request for parole. As the head of the  public relations department of the Penitentiary Service of the  Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia Nona Navikyan said, he  filed an application for early release about two weeks ago, she is  now under consideration. She recalled that he had the right to do so,  since according to the legislation of the Republic of Armenia, after  20 years of serving a sentence, a person sentenced to life  imprisonment can send such a request. The issue regarding the  statement of Hunanyan will be resolved in the manner prescribed by  law - in the 80-day period.

It should be noted that Hunanyan was sentenced to life imprisonment  and is serving a sentence in the Yerevan Kentron colony. According to  the legislation of the Republic of Armenia, after 20 years of serving  a sentence, a person sentenced to life imprisonment can send a  request for parole. The corresponding application of Hunanyan will be  considered in the manner prescribed by law, that is, in an 80-day  period.  Meanwhile, a number of deputies called on Hunanyan to  disclose information about the true events of October 27, 1999, since  there is still a disbelief in the society that all those responsible  were identified and brought to justice.