Without the October 27 Parliament Attack, Would Armenia Have Taken Another Political Path?

Today marks 26 years since one of the darkest days in Armenia’s modern history — the October 27, 1999 terrorist attack inside the National Assembly.

On that day, a group of armed men entered the parliament during a government question-and-answer session and opened fire. As a result, eight top Armenian officials were killed, including National Assembly Speaker Karen Demirchyan, Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan, Deputy Speakers Yuri Bakhshyan and Ruben Miroyan, MPs Armenak Armenakyan, Henrik Abrahamyan, Mikael Kotanyan, and Minister for Operational Issues Leonard Petrosyan, who was also serving as Deputy Prime Minister.

The attackers were identified as Nairi Hunanyan, his brother Karen Hunanyan, their uncle Vram Galstyan, as well as Eduard Grigoryan and Derenik Bejanyan. The group was led by Nairi Hunanyan, who later testified that he had planned acts of terrorism as early as 1991 but was unable to carry them out at the time.

The trial for the “October 27” case lasted several years, and on December 2, 2003, the court issued its final verdict. Six men — Nairi Hunanyan, Karen Hunanyan, Vram Galstyan, Derenik Bejanyan, Edik Grigoryan, and Ashot Knyazyan — were sentenced to life imprisonment. Another defendant, Hamlet Stepanyan, received a 14-year prison sentence.

Over the years, several of those convicted have died in prison. According to the official version, Vram Galstyan committed suicide in solitary confinement at Nubarashen Penitentiary in April 2004. Hamlet Stepanyan, who had received a 14-year sentence, died of a heart attack in May 2010. Another defendant, Norayr Yeghiazaryan, died before the verdict was announced after being electrocuted in his cell at Nubarashen. Eduard Grigoryan died in 2017 at a hospital in Yerevan.

As of today, Nairi and Karen Hunanyan, Derenik Bejanyan, and Ashot Knyazyan remain alive and continue to serve life sentences.

The defendants were found guilty under several articles of the Criminal Code of Armenia, including usurpation of state power, murder of state and political figures, attempted usurpation of power, terrorism, unlawful deprivation of liberty, and illegal possession of weapons.

The October 27 tragedy left a lasting mark on Armenia’s political and social life, shaking the country’s leadership and its path toward stability in the post-Soviet years.

Last year, The Armenian Report published an exclusive interview with journalist Anna Israyelyan, one of the witnesses of that day. Viewers can watch the full interview here.