Jailed Armenian gunman commits suicide

Mediamax news agency
16 Apr 04

YEREVAN

Vram Galstyan, one of the executors of the terrorist attack in the
Armenian parliament on 27 October 1999, committed suicide in
Nubarashen jail today.

During the regular morning check Vram Galstyan was alive and was in a
normal state, Mediamax was told at the press service of the Armenian
Ministry of Justice. According to the provided information, he hanged
himself at about 1100 [0600 gmt] using a sheet for this purpose.

Several days ago, Vram Galstyan was moved to a solitary confinement
cell at his own request, the press service of the Ministry of Justice
reported.

Vram Galstyan was the uncle of the terrorists’ ringleader Nairi
Unanyan. On 2 December 2003, the court of Yerevan’s Kentron and Nork
Marash communities sentenced five executors of the terrorist attack in
the Armenian National Assembly on 27 October 1999 to life
imprisonment. Those were Nairi and Karen Unanyan, Derenik Bedzhanyan,
Vram Galstyan and Eduard Grigoryan.

[Passage omitted: background details]

On 26 November 2003, Armenian President Robert Kocharyan signed a law
on amendments to the Criminal Code adopted by the Armenian National
Assembly.

Under the law, people sentenced to life imprisonment for terrorist
attacks and assassination of political and public figures are not to
be granted amnesty.

The draft law was submitted by the Justice opposition faction and
adopted by the Armenian parliament on 4 November 2003.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress