Armenian parliament shooting
The 1999 Armenian parliament shooting, commonly known in Armenia as October 27 (Armenian: Հոկտեմբերի 27, romanized: Hoktemberi k'sanyot), was a terrorist attack on the Armenian National Assembly in the capital of Yerevan on 27 October 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. Their reform-minded coalition had won a majority in a parliamentary election held in May of that year and had practically sidelined President Robert Kocharyan from the political scene.
| Armenian parliament shooting | |
|---|---|
A 2000 postal card depicting the eight victims of the shooting | |
| Location | National Assembly Building, Yerevan, Armenia |
| Date | October 27, 1999 5:15 pm (UTC+4) |
| Target | Vazgen Sargsyan |
| Weapons | AK-47 |
| Deaths | 8 (including Sargsyan) |
| Injured | 30+ |
| Perpetrators | Nairi Hunanyan, Karen Hunanyan, Vram Galstyan, Derenik Ejanyan, Eduard Grigoryan |
| Defenders | After the occupation of the building: Minister of Interior (Police) Defense Ministry (Armed Forces) |
| Motive | Coup d'état (according to perpetrators) |
The shooting led to significant changes in the country's political landscape. It remains a subject of numerous conspiracy theories, mostly involving President Kocharyan, whose tenure thereafter was frequently criticized as authoritarian. Sargsyan and Demirchyan were posthumously honored with National Hero of Armenia titles.