Preliminary investigation into October 27 case underway - RA  Prosecutor General 

ArmInfo.  The case of the events of October 27, 1999 is in the preliminary investigation stage.

On May 8, RA Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan stated this from the  rostrum of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia,  answering a question from NA deputy from the ruling Civil Contract  faction Andranik Kocharyan.

The deputy inquired whether the Prosecutor General's Office intends  to involve former head of the staff of the second President of the  Republic of Armenia Robert Kocharyan, Aleksan Harutyunyan, who  currently lives in Paris, as a witness in the case of the terrorist  attack in the Armenian parliament.

The Prosecutor General once again stated that this case is in the  stage of active preliminary investigation and under the appropriate  control of the supervisory body. Vardapetyan refused to comment on  the specifics of the issue, so as not to harm the investigative  activities.

The same applies to the case of March 1, 2008. The Prosecutor General  recalled that this topic was also raised earlier at a meeting of the  NA Committee on State and Legal Issues, and a similar answer was  given. "We will not advertise a half-done case, since disclosing  details often leads to the persons of interest to us disappearing and  leaving the country," the Prosecutor General said.

On October 27, 1999, a group of terrorists stormed the parliament and  shot dead the Prime Minister of Armenia Vazgen Sargsyan, the Speaker  of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Karen Demirchyan,  the Vice Speakers Yuri Bakhshyan and Ruben Miroyan, the Minister of  Operational Issues Leonard Petrosyan and the deputies Armenak  Armenakyan, Mikael Kotanyan and Henrik Abrahamyan.  The terrorist  group included former journalist Nairi Hunanyan, who worked for some  time on Armenian television, his brother Karen Hunanyan, their uncle  Vram Galstyan, as well as Derenik Bejanyan and Ashot Knyazyan. Their  trial began on February 15, 2001. On December 2, 2003, the Court of  First Instance of Center-Nork-Marash sentenced the brothers Nairi and  Karen Hunanyan, Edik Grigoryan, Vram Galstyan (he died in prison in  2004, according to the official version, having committed suicide),  Derenik Bejanyan and Ashot Knyazyan to life imprisonment. Hamlet  Stepanyan was sentenced to 14 years in prison (In May 2010, his body  was found in his bed in the Nubarashen Penitentiary). All seven were  found guilty of treason and terrorism. The RA Court of Cassation  upheld the sentence.