1999 Armenian parliament shooting
Encyclopedia
The 1999 Armenian parliament shooting was an attack on the Armenian parliament in the capital Yerevan
on October 27, 1999 at 5:15 p.m, by a group of armed men that killed the Prime Minister of Armenia
and 7 other high ranking officials.
who was a former journalist, plus his brother and uncle. They burst into the parliament chamber after they easily obtained passes allowing them to enter parliament, smuggling in their weapons under their overcoats. They fired their automatic weapons and killed Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan, Parliamentary Speaker Karen Demirchyan
, Deputy Speakers Yuri Bakhshyan and Ruben Miroyan, Armenia's Emergencies Minister Leonard Petrosyan
, Mikael Kotanyan and at least two others. One of the victims was also hit in the head repeatedly with the butt of an assault rifle. The United Nations General Assembly
meeting was interrupted in its schedule to pay tribute to the victims of the shooting.
After the killings, the gunmen announced they were staging a coup d'état
and claimed that they wanted to punish "corrupt officials." The leader of the group said they intended to kill only Prime Minister Sargsyan, and the other deaths were "mistakes". Security forces quickly surrounded the parliament building. The gunmen surrendered to the authorities on Thursday morning, 28 October, and freed about 40 hostages after they were allowed to speak on national television and were promised a fair trial and safe passage by negotiations with the President of Armenia
Robert Kocharyan. Nairi Hunanyan and the five gunmen were found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.
's Freedom Square
for funeral services as the nation continued three days of official mourning for its prime minister and seven other slain government officials. About 20,000 people, including Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
, came to pay their respects for the dead. United States
President Bill Clinton
offered condolences and support by telephone to Armenian President Robert Kocharyan.
Hunanian was later quoted as saying "We wanted to save the Armenian people from perishing and restore their rights."
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
on October 27, 1999 at 5:15 p.m, by a group of armed men that killed the Prime Minister of Armenia
Prime Minister of Armenia
The Prime Minister of Armenia is the most senior minister within the Armenian government, and is required by the constitution to "oversee the Government's regular activities and coordinate the work of the Ministers." The Prime Minister is appointed by the President of Armenia, but can be removed by...
and 7 other high ranking officials.
Shooting
The government was holding a question-and-answer period when five gunmen entered, led by Nairi HunanyanNairi Hunanyan
Nairi Hunanyan is the terrorist who led an armed attack on the Armenian Parliament on October 27, 1999.Hunanyan was born in 1965 in Yerevan. He graduated from the Department of Philology of Yerevan State University. In 1988 he became an active participant of the Armenian National Liberation...
who was a former journalist, plus his brother and uncle. They burst into the parliament chamber after they easily obtained passes allowing them to enter parliament, smuggling in their weapons under their overcoats. They fired their automatic weapons and killed Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan, Parliamentary Speaker Karen Demirchyan
Karen Demirchyan
Karen Demirchyan was a Soviet Armenian communist, First Secretary of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic from 1974 to 1988 and later independent politician...
, Deputy Speakers Yuri Bakhshyan and Ruben Miroyan, Armenia's Emergencies Minister Leonard Petrosyan
Leonard Petrosyan
Leonard Petrosyan Լեոնարդ Պետրոսյան was the second president of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic for almost 6 months . He also served as Prime Minister of the Republic 1994-1997. He was killed in the 1999 Armenian parliament shooting...
, Mikael Kotanyan and at least two others. One of the victims was also hit in the head repeatedly with the butt of an assault rifle. The United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
meeting was interrupted in its schedule to pay tribute to the victims of the shooting.
After the killings, the gunmen announced they were staging a coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
and claimed that they wanted to punish "corrupt officials." The leader of the group said they intended to kill only Prime Minister Sargsyan, and the other deaths were "mistakes". Security forces quickly surrounded the parliament building. The gunmen surrendered to the authorities on Thursday morning, 28 October, and freed about 40 hostages after they were allowed to speak on national television and were promised a fair trial and safe passage by negotiations with the President of Armenia
President of Armenia
President of Armenia is the title of the head of state of Armenia since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.-Democratic Republic of Armenia :*Avetis Aharonyan *Avetik Sahakyan *Avetis Aharonyan -Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and Armenian...
Robert Kocharyan. Nairi Hunanyan and the five gunmen were found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.
Aftermath
Thousands of people gathered in YerevanYerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
's Freedom Square
Freedom Square, Yerevan
Freedom Square or Liberty Square The statues of Hovhannes Tumanyan and Alexander Spendiaryan are located in the square.An underground parking was built in 2008-2010....
for funeral services as the nation continued three days of official mourning for its prime minister and seven other slain government officials. About 20,000 people, including Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
, came to pay their respects for the dead. United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
offered condolences and support by telephone to Armenian President Robert Kocharyan.
Hunanian was later quoted as saying "We wanted to save the Armenian people from perishing and restore their rights."