Armenia marks the 26th anniversary of the October 27 terrorist attack on parliament. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, President Vahagn Khachaturyan, and Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan laid flowers at the memorial dedicated to the victims of the tragedy, located in the National Assembly courtyard.
On October 27, 1999, during a regular government Q&A session in the Armenian parliament, an armed group led by Nairi Hunanyan stormed the chamber and opened fire, killing several prominent political and state figures. Among the victims were Vazgen Sargsyan and Karen Demirchyan, both National Heroes of Armenia, as well as Deputy Speakers Yuri Bakhshyan and Ruben Miroyan, and MPs Mikael Kotanyan, Henrik Abrahamyan, Armenak Armenakyan, and Leonard Petrosyan.
The surviving lawmakers and journalists covering the session were held hostage until the early hours of October 28, when the assailants surrendered and laid down their weapons.
The verdict was delivered on December 2, 2003. Five were sentenced to life imprisonment, while Hamlet Stepanyan received a 14-year prison term. One of the life convicts, Vram Galstyan, committed suicide in 2004.
