The October 27 crime took place exactly 22 years ago, during the question-and-answer session with the government at this hall. I propose honoring the memory of the victims with a minute of silence. National Assembly (NA) vice speaker Ruben Rubinyan, who is chairing Wednesday’s session, stated this at the beginning of today’s sitting of the Armenian parliament.

Subsequently, those in attendance stood up and silently honored the memory of the victims of the aforesaid tragedy.

Then the legislature proceeded to vote on the bills that were discussed Tuesday.

On October 27, 1999 a group of criminals broke into the NA Sessions’ Hall and shot several members of the Armenian government and the parliament at point-blank.

Then Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan, NA Speaker Karen Demirchyan, NA Deputy Speakers Yuri Bakhshyan and Ruben Miroyan, Minister of Operative Affairs Leonard Petrosyan, as well as MPs Armenak Armenakyan, Henrik Abrahamyan, and Mikayel Kotanyan were killed in this terrorist act.

The trial of these terrorists was held from 2001-2003. As a result, six of them were sentenced to life imprisonment, and another—to 14 years in prison.

But this trial could not—or did not want to expose—the organizers of this terrorist act, and the Armenian society still has serious doubts about these organizers.