|
The Armenian parliament shooting, commonly known in Armenia as October 27 (Հոկտեմբերի 27, ''Hoktemberi k'sanyot' ''), was a terrorist attack on the Armenian National Assembly in the capital Yerevan on October 27, 1999, by a group of five armed men led by Nairi Hunanyan that, among others, killed the two ''de facto'' decision-makers in the country's political leadership—Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan and Parliament Speaker Karen Demirchyan. The shooting is one of the most controversial events of post-Soviet Armenian history, which led to significant changes in the country's political landscape. It remains a subject of numerous conspiracy theories, mostly involving President Robert Kocharyan, whose tenure thereafter was frequently criticized as authoritarian. Sargsyan and Demirchyan were posthumously honored with National Hero of Armenia titles.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.president.am/en/highest-title/ )〕 ==Shooting== On 27 October 1999, at around 5:15 p.m.,〔〔 five men led by journalist and former ARF member Nairi Hunanyan,〔 armed with Kalashnikov rifles hidden under long coats,〔〔 broke into the National Assembly building on Baghramyan Avenue in Yerevan, while the government was holding a question-and-answer session. They shot dead eight people: The gunmen injured at least 30 people in the parliament.〔 Hunanyan was accompanied by his brother Karen, uncle Vram, and two others. The group claimed they were carrying out a coup d'état.〔 They described their act as "patriotic" and "needed for the nation to regain its senses."〔 They said they wanted to "punish the authorities for what they do to the nation" and described the government as profiteers "drinking the blood of the people." They claimed Armenia was in a "catastrophic situation" and that "corrupt officials" were not doing anything to provide the way out.〔 Vazgen Sargsyan was the main target of the group〔 and the other deaths were said to be unintended.〔 According to reporters who witnessed the shooting, the men went up to Sargsyan and said, "Enough of drinking our blood," to which Sargsyan calmly responded, "Everything is being done for you and the future of your children."〔 Vazgen Sargsyan was hit several times. Anna Israelyan, an eyewitness journalist, stated that "the first shots were fired directly at Vazgen Sargsyan at a distance of one to two meters" and, in her words, "it was impossible that he would have survived."〔 Gagik Saratikyan, a cameraman, was the first person from outside to be allowed to go into the building while the men were in control of it. Saratikyan recorded the dead bodies of Vazgen Sargsyan and Karen Demirchyan.〔 Sargsyan's body was taken out of the parliament building on the evening of October 27.〔 Soon after the attack, hundreds of policemen and army forces personnel and two armored personnel carriers〔 were brought into Yerevan, positioned on Baghramyan Avenue surrounding the National Assembly building.〔 An anti-terrorist squad from Russia also participated in the operation.〔 Meanwhile, ambulance vehicles rushed to the site of the shooting.〔 President Robert Kocharyan was directing the operation of the security forces around the parliament building. While holding around 50 hostages inside the building,〔 the men demanded a helicopter and airtime on national television for a political statement.〔 President Robert Kocharyan gave a speech on TV, announcing that the situation was under control. His spokesman Vahe Gabrielyan was quick to characterize the men as "individual terrorists" and assured that "it's only the parliament building and a very small group."〔 After overnight negotiations with President Kocharyan, the gunmen released the hostages and gave themselves up on the morning of October 28, after a standoff〔 that lasted 17–18 hours.〔 Kocharyan had guaranteed the personal security of the gunmen and the right to a free trial. In the meantime, the Armenian armed forces blocked the roads leading to Yerevan for security reasons. On 28 October 1999, President Kocharyan declared a three-day mourning period. The state funeral ceremony for the victims of the parliament shooting took place from 30 October to 31 October 1999. The bodies of the victims, including Vazgen Sargsyan, were placed inside the Yerevan Opera Theater. A number of high-ranking officials from some 30 countries, including Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and the Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze, attended the funeral. Karekin II, the Catholicos of All Armenians and Aram I, the Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia gave prayers. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Armenian parliament shooting」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|