Varushan Karapetyan

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Varuschan Karapetjan ( Armenian Վարուժան Կարապետյան; born March 7, 1954 in Qamishli , Syria ; † January 29, 2019 in Yerevan , Armenia ) was a member of the now defunct Armenian terrorist organization ASALA . He ran the French branch of this association in the early 1980s and was behind the 1983 Paris-Orly airport bomb explosion that killed 8 people and injured 55 others.

Act of terrorism at Paris-Orly airport

Karapetjan came from the multiethnic city of Qamishli in northeast Syria on the Turkish border.

In the early 1980s, ASALA, which mainly focused on the murder of Turkish diplomats and their family members, expanded its activities to France , with leadership responsibility being transferred to Karapetyan.

July 15, 1983 deposited Karapetjan a bomb in a large suitcase in front of the check-in desk of Turkish Airlines at Paris-Orly. Although the explosives consisted of half a kilo of Semtex (plastic explosives), four portable gas bottles were attached to them, which increased the explosive power many times over and therefore caused severe burns in many of the wounded. Karapetjan aimed to kill as many Turks as possible . But his calculation didn't work out. Among the 8 fatalities were 4 French, a Swede and an American .

Arrest and conviction

Immediately after the attack, the French police raided the strongholds of ASALA in Paris , confiscated weapons and initially arrested 50 Armenians who were accused of having links to the terrorist organization. Karapetyan was also among those arrested and admitted when he was first questioned that he had placed the primer at the airport.

The Karapetjan trial took place in Créteil near Paris. The French lawyer Jacques Vergès defended himself , while the victim side was represented by the independent French law firm Gide Loyrette Nouel . During the trial, Karapetyan denied his original confession and protested his innocence. However, on March 3, 1985, the court found him guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

Pardon and extradition to Armenia

From the mid-1990s, the influential Armenian community in France started a petition to pardon Karapetyan. This was signed by over a million people. After 17 years in prison, Karapetyan was released early on April 23, 2001 by the Bourges City Court of Appeal and extradited to Armenia , where he was received like a hero. The then mayor of Yerevan Robert Nazarjan secured him a job and an apartment. Prime Minister Andranik Markarjan met Karapetjan personally and expressed his joy at his release. Karapetjan also received support for his actions from leading Armenian intellectuals such as Silwa Kaputikjan and Zori Balajan .

Karapetyan died of a heart attack in Yerevan on January 29, 2019.

Literature and individual references

  1. ↑ Nurit Greenger: Varoujan Garabedian. Armenia's Adulated Terrorist. October 19, 2017, accessed June 18, 2019 .
  2. ^ MH Syed: Islamic terrorism: Myth or reality . Ed .: Kalpaz Publications. Gyan Publishing House, 2002, ISBN 978-81-7835-140-7 , pp. 43 .
  3. ^ Andrew Mango: Turkey and the war on terror: for forty years we fought alone . Taylor & Francis, London 2005, ISBN 978-0-415-35001-3 , pp. 109 .
  4. ↑ Giniger, Henry; Freudenheim, Milt; Douglas, Carlyle C: THE WORLD; Sympathy won't help. In: The New York Times. July 24, 1983, accessed June 18, 2019 .
  5. ^ EJ Dionne JR: Paris Says Suspect Confesses Attack. In: The New York Times. July 21, 1983, accessed June 18, 2019 .
  6. ↑ Роберт Кочарян опроверг откровенную ложь Ильхама Алиева об освобождении Варужана Карапетяна. In: Panarmenian.net. September 13, 2012, Retrieved June 18, 2019 (Russian).
  7. ↑ Florence Avakian: "Over a Million in Armenia Plead for Release of Convicted ASALA Man" . Ed .: The Armenian Reporter. 1995.
  8. ↑ Dominique Simonnot: Le terroriste Garbidjian quitte les prisons françaises. April 21, 2011, accessed June 18, 2019 (French).
  9. ^ Newsline. In: Radio Free Europe. May 7, 2001, accessed June 18, 2019 .
  10. ↑ Сергея Галоян: ОСТАВЬТЕ ЭТОГО ЧЕЛОВЕКА В ПОКОЕ! In: ГАЗЕТА «АЗГ». September 4, 2003, Retrieved June 18, 2019 (Russian).
  11. ↑ Умер член ASALA Варужан Карапетян. In: Novostink.net. January 29, 2019, accessed June 18, 2019 (Russian).
personal data
SURNAME Karapetjan, Varushan
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Syrian-Armenian member of the now defunct Armenian terrorist organization ASALA
DATE OF BIRTH March 7, 1954
PLACE OF BIRTH Qamishli , Syria
DATE OF DEATH 29 January 2019
Place of death Yerevan , Armenia