POLITICAL MURDER DISCLOSED

PanARMENIAN.Net - The 36 years old Tigran Naghdalyan was shot dead on 28 December last year. He was not only a well-known journalist but also a political figure. In the rating of influential journalists he has always been among the first ten. He was considered a person who was among the circles close to Robert Kocharian. It is interesting that the information about the arrest of the executors of the crime was announced the night after the Presidential elections. Armen Sarkisian was arrested a month later. During the preliminary investigation he confirmed that had paid $75 thousand to the killers but did not admit the guilt of having organized the murder. According to the testimonies of the executors, Sarkisian wanted to eliminate Naghdalian because suspected him of being responsible for the murder of his elder brother, Prime Minister Vazgen Sarkisian killed in October 1999 by terrorists.

We shall note that the investigation of the case of the terrorist act in the parliament of Armenia is in fact finishing and the verdict will be announced one of these days. Naghdalyan’s name is nor circulating in the case though once the relevant authorities were trying to elaborate a version of his ties with the leader of terrorists Nairi Hounanyan. It is to a secret that this was being ordered by the previous government headed by Aram Sarkisian. These attempts failed. However, the opposition continues to insist. The authorities have their own version of Naghdalyan’s murder. The observers of the media loyal to the President say the murder has been backed by some leaders of radical opposition criticized by Naghdalian during his weekly TV program. The oppositional figures have never hidden their negative attitude towards Naghdalian, but they say such accusations are a provocation. There are series of undisclosed murders in Armenia. Former head of the KGB, former mayor of Yerevan, head of the railway administration, deputy ministers of defense and internal affairs have become victims of political murders. And, finally, it is not decided, if the terrorists that shot the Parliament in October 1999 were acting independently. Naghdalian’s case was the first one that was disclosed.