Prosecution issues details on ongoing investigation into 1999 parliament terror attack

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 27, ARMENPRESS. The Department of Investigations of the National Security Service is investigating case number 62207199 on the 27 October 1999 parliament shooting.

The Prosecutor-General’s Office said that a number of investigative actions were carried out in 2022.

In order to reveal possible accomplices of the gunmen, as well as officials who had the possibility or duty to prevent the attack, and people connected with the weapons used in the attack, the authorities questioned several people, including Nairi Hunanyan, Karen Hunanyan, Derenik Bejanyan, Ashot Knyazyan, Anahit Bakhshyan, Ashot Gasparyan, Hrachya Sargsyan, Karen Khachaturyan, Gagik Harutyunyan, Taron Sahakyan, Zhora Sargsyan and others, the Prosecutor-General’s Office said.

Nairi Hunanyan is the perpetrator who led the group of gunmen in the 1999 attack.

Anahit Bakhshyan is the widow of Yuri Bakhshyan, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament who died in the 1999 attack.

Confiscations were carried out.

The files of gunmen Eduard Grigoryan, Vram Galstyan and Hamlet Stepanyan – who died in prison – were confiscated from the prisons to clarify certain questions in the probe into the cause of their deaths.

Other materials of interests have been confiscated from various police departments and other state agencies.

Audio-visual examinations into confiscated videos and recordings are underway.

The data of persons who visited the shooters in prison have been acquired.

Several versions have been brought forward and a plan of investigation has been developed.

On 27 October, 1999 a group of five heavily armed gunmen led by Nairi Hunanyan stormed into the parliament while it was in session and assassinated Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan, Speaker Karen Demirchyan, Deputy Speakers Yuri Bakhshyan and Ruben Miroyan, as well as three lawmakers and a Cabinet member. The gunmen held the remaining MPs hostage until surrendering to authorities the next day.

There have since been many theories on possible masterminds, including possible foreign involvement behind the attack. An investigation was reopened in 2019.