“It was the first organized attack”
Former deputy speaker of the Armenian parliament Ara Sahakian agrees with Vazgen Manukyan that the parliamentary carnage of October 27 could be avoided but for the clashes of 1996.
At the same time he reminds Mr. Manukyan that the two events are in no way logically connected. In 1996 the opposition attacked the authorities while in all the other cases the authorities applied inadequate force against the opposition.
"Yes, the organizers, provocateurs and perpetrators of mass disorders of September 25, 1996, were to be exposed and brought to justice. The events of October 27, April 12 and March 1 would not occur if they shouldered responsibility for their misdeeds. It was the first organized mass attack on a state body which was "gasped" by the opposition led by Vazgen Manukyan for some political reasons," says Mr. Sahakyan.
On September 26, 1996, the opposition stormed the NA building beating NA officials and damaging state property. But no fatalities were reported then and no one opened fire at peaceful people.
