Armenian gunmen release hostages, say they acted to save nation

Avet Demourian

Thursday, Oct. 28, 1999 | 9:07 a.m.

YEREVAN, Armenia - Nationalist gunmen whose attack on parliament killed eight top Armenian officials including the prime minister turned in their weapons and surrendered today, freeing the dozens of hostages they had held during their overnight siege.

Hundreds of police and army troops with armored personnel carriers had surrounded the parliament building in this former Soviet republic throughout the night and authorities had been considering using special forces to end the standoff with the five attackers.

But the takeover at the parliament building ended after President Robert Kocharian promised the gunmen a fair trial and a recorded statement by their leader was broadcast on national television.

"We wanted to save the Armenian people from perishing and restore their rights," Nairi Unanian, an ardent nationalist and ex-journalist, said in the recorded statement. "Those responsible for robbing the country must face trial along with us."

Armenia, like many ex-Soviet republics, has been mired in economic chaos for years, stuck between the failed Soviet system and largely unsuccessful efforts to build a market economy. Corruption is rampant, with some officials allegedly diverting public funds.

The gunmen released some 40 hostages and handed in weapons to police before being escorted from the building with at least one hostage to ensure their safety. The freed hostages, mainly government officials and lawmakers, were checked by doctors.

The prosecutor-general filed charges of terrorism and attempting to weaken state power against the gunmen. The charges carry a prison sentence of 10 to 15 years in prison, or the death penalty - though there has been a moratorium on capital punishment since 1994.

Kocharian said the nation would be in mourning from Friday through Sunday, the day when the victims are to be buried.

During his taped address, Unanian accused the government of Kocharian and slain Prime Minister Vazgen Sarkisian of allowing the country to disintegrate. He also accused the country's elite of bleeding the economy dry with corruption and called for a national renewal to restore pride and prosperity.

He said he had not wanted to kill anybody, just to scare lawmakers. But earlier he said the killing of the prime minister had been deliberate. He also claimed that guards had opened fire, forcing the gunmen to fire back.

The gunmen burst into the chamber Wednesday and killed Sarkisian and Parliament Speaker Karen Demirchian. The entire Cabinet was present for a question-and-answer session.

The Defense Ministry today demanded the prosecutor-general, interior minister and national security service chief be fired over the killings.

"We express indignation over the fact that the gunmen could get into the parliament building unimpeded. The crime has demonstrated the incompetence of the security services," the ministry said in a statement.

There was no explanation of how the gunmen, who apparently hid their automatic rifles under long overcoats, were able to get into the parliament chamber.

Unanian had been a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, known as Dashnak, a group the government has tried to suppress.

Dashnak said Unanian had been expelled several years ago and the party had nothing to do with the attack. Unanian's brother and uncle were among the attackers, according to reporters in the chamber during the assault.

There was also speculation the attack could be linked to continuing tensions over Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan.

Nagorno-Karabakh declared independence in 1988 and separatists helped by Armenia drove out Azerbaijani troops. A truce was signed in 1994, but sporadic fighting has continued.

The Armenian government, although composed of nationalists like Sarkisian who made their political careers by championing the enclave, has been seeking a solution to the continuing tensions.

The other victims were deputy speakers Yuri Bakhshian and Ruben Miroian, Energy Minister Leonard Petrosian, senior economic official Mikhail Kotanian, and lawmakers Genrikh Abramian and Armenak Armenakian. Seven other lawmakers and officials were wounded, and one of the them was in grave condition, officials said today.

Sarkisian, a 40-year-old former athletic instructor and Soviet propaganda official, was appointed premier by Kocharian in June.

Sarkisian was an ally of Demirchian, who was Armenia's Soviet-era leader. The two headed the hard-line Unity party.

The prime minister is appointed by the president, so an election will not be needed to fill the post.