Varoujan Garabedian

Varoujan Garabedian (Armenian: Վարուժան Կարապետեան, also Varadjian Garbidjian and Varuzhan Karapetian; March 7, 1954 – January 29, 2019) was a Syrian-born Armenian nationalist. He was a member of the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) and head of the organization's French branch.[1][2] He was known for being the accused bomber of the 1983 fatal bombing at Orly Airport in Paris. Garabedian was later pardoned by French authorities nearly 20 years after the attack.

Varoujan Garabedian
Վարուժան Կարապետեան
Born(1954-03-07)March 7, 1954
Qamishli, Al-Hasakah Governorate, Syrian Republic
DiedJanuary 29, 2019(2019-01-29) (aged 64)
Yerevan, Armenia
Criminal statusPardoned by French authorities, deported to Armenia
MotiveArmenian nationalism
Criminal chargeTerrorist attack
PenaltyConvicted on terrorism charges

Orly airport attack
Main article: 1983 Orly Airport attack

On July 15, 1983, while serving as head of the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia's French branch, Garabedian planted a bomb inside a suitcase at the Turkish Airlines check-in desk in the south terminal of the Orly Airport in Paris.[3][4] The act was part of the group's global terrorism campaign against Turkey for the recognition and reparations for the Armenian Genocide.[5]

After the bombing, the French police raided ASALA strongholds, confiscating arms and detaining 50 Armenians believed to have links to the ASALA.[6] One of the arrested, Garabedian, confessed to being a leader of ASALA in France and for planting the bomb at the Orly airport.[3] The attack killed eight people.[1]

Trial

During the trial in Créteil, France, he was defended by Jacques Vergès while the victims of attack were represented by Gide Loyrette Nouel.[7] Garabedian denied his earlier confession of having planted the bomb, but was found guilty (along with Nair Sonner and Ohannes Semerci) and sentenced to life imprisonment on March 3, 1985[8] for such "deeds that were aimed at Turkish targets".[7] During the trial he admitted that he was the head of ASALA's French branch.[1][2]

Pardon and deportation

In the late 1990s, a petition was signed by over one million people in Armenia,[9] and was appealed by members of the Armenian government and civic leaders including former and current Presidents of Armenia.[10] The appeal was sent to the French authorities to pardon Varoujan Garabedian and Armenia offered asylum to Garabedian upon his release from prison.[10]

After spending 17 years in jail, he was pardoned by the Bourges court of appeals on April 23, 2001 on the condition that he be deported to Armenia.[1][2][11]

The mayor of Yerevan, Robert Nazaryan, had pledged to provide him with employment and accommodation, and in Yerevan Garabedian had a meeting with Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan,[12] who expressed happiness at his release.[1] While in prison, he started to paint and produced many paintings.[13]

Aftermath

Many prominent Armenian intellectuals, including Zori Balayan, Silva Kaputikyan, Sos Sargsyan, Gevorg Emin, Perch Zeytuntsyan, Levon Ananyan and others expressed support of Garabedian.[14] According to Armenian media, Garabedian was unofficially "supervising" the Yerevan-Dilijan transport line and with his guards was a part of a criminal incident in 2010.[15]

Garabedian died on 29 January 2019 in Yerevan from a suspected heart attack at the age of 64.[16]

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References
  1. "Armenian premier meets with released ASALA member". Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Newsline. May 7, 2001.
  2. Agence France Presse, April 24, 2001. Armenian terrorist freed and deported from France
  3. Jr, E. j Dionne; Times, Special To the New York (21 July 1983). "Paris Says Suspect Confesses Attack". Retrieved 31 January 2019 – via NYTimes.com.
  4. Varoujan Garabedian, Armenia’s Adulated Terrorist at the Jerusalem Post
  5. French Police Question Armenians in Orly Airport Bombing, The Washington Post
  6. Giniger, Henry; Freudenheim, Milt; Douglas, Carlyle C. (24 July 1983). "THE WORLD; Sympathy Won't Help". Retrieved 31 January 2019 – via NYTimes.com.
  7. "VARUJAN KARAPETIAN: I AM STAYING IN ARMENIA, Azg, 2008-11-09". Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  8. United Press International, Foreign News Briefs, March 4, 1985; (in French)Text of the verdict Archived 2012-10-02 at the Wayback Machine
  9. Florence Avakian. "Over a Million in Armenia Plead for Release of Convicted ASALA Man." The Armenian Reporter. 1995. HighBeam Research. (September 22, 2012).
  10. Waal, Thomas de (2013). Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan Through Peace and War. NYU Press. p. 364. ISBN 9780814785782.
  11. Simonnot, Dominique (24 April 2001). "Le terroriste Garbidjian quitte les prisons françaises". Libération. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  12. "Budapest Times: Did not live up to Eastern promise". Archived from the original on 2012-11-05. Retrieved 2012-10-29.
  13. (in Russian) "Sobesednik Armenii" #25, 2008/Невозможно постоянно иметь революционное поколение
  14. "Azg.am: ОСТАВЬТЕ ЭТОГО ЧЕЛОВЕКА В ПОКОЕ!". Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  16. WRAL (29 January 2019). "Bomber behind fatal 1983 Paris airport attack dies :". WRAL.com. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
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