Speaker questions why October 27 attack masterminds were not uncovered during Kocharyan, Sargsyan presidencies
2 minute read
Armenian Parliament Speaker Ruben Rubinyan has said that the authorities are interested in uncovering the alleged masterminds behind the October 27, 1999 terrorist attack, while questioning why the circumstances of the case were not brought to light during the presidencies of Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan and third President Serzh Sargsyan.
Rubinyan made the remarks during a media briefing on October 27, in response to a question about the political will to solve the case.
In his assessment, the period immediately following a crime is the most favorable time to identify those who ordered such crimes.
“The easiest way, or the most opportune time, to identify those who ordered such crimes is the period immediately following the crime,” Rubinyan said.
The Speaker of Parliament recalled that at the time of the terrorist attack, Robert Kocharyan was serving as president and Serzh Sargsyan as minister of national security. He stressed that they continued to hold senior leadership positions in the country in the years that followed.
“Of course, there is no political force more interested than we are in solving this crime,” the Speaker of Parliament added.
On October 27, 1999, a group of five heavily armed gunmen stormed the Armenian parliament during a session and assassinated Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan, Speaker of Parliament 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 they surrendered to the authorities the following day. The perpetrators were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Over the years, various theories have emerged about possible masterminds or accomplices, including allegations of foreign involvement in the attack.
The investigation was reopened in 2019 and is ongoing.