Memorial event held in Yerevan to honour killed police officers during the 2016 hostage crisis
A memorial event was held on Monday in the territory of the patrol police regiment in Yerevan’s southern Erebuni district a year after a group of gunmen, calling themselves Daredevils of Sasun, stormed the station, killing one police officer and wounding at least two others.
Nine people were taken hostage for different days over the course of the 13-day standoff between the law enforcement and the gunmen that demanded the release of one of opposition leaders Jirayr Sefilian. Two other police officers were shot dead by the gunmen in the subsequent days of the standoff amid Armenia’s National Security ultimatums about unconditional surrender of the armed men and the latters’ appeals to the citizens to take to the streets to rebel against the government.
The group eventually surrendered on June 30 to what they explained avoid further bloodshed.
Family members, relatives and citizens of the killed officers laid flowers and lit candles at the memorial dedicated to police Colonel Artur Vanoyan, Lieutenant Yuri Tepanosyan and police senior Gagik Mkrtchyan.
RA Police Chief Vladimir Gasparyan, other high-level police officers took part in the memorial event.