The Swan Song of the Bolshevik Government – They Wanted to Drown Yerevan in Blood

They wanted to drown Yerevan in blood. At the last minute, it was decided to shoot those who had been arrested and imprisoned in the basements of Yerevan in the Cheka and in the Central Prison.

We present to you a list of those who were shot in those days. The so-called “Emergency Group” and a special department created under the Revolutionary Committee of the Bolshevik government to combat “counterrevolution, abuse, and sabotage” decided to use terror against 21 prisoners held in the Central Prison according to order Number 11 which was sent to the commandant of the Cheka.

Here is a list of 21 people who were executed as counterrevolutionaries, robbers, communist murderers, traitors, and plunderers of state property.

1. Ter-Margaryan Hrant (Տեր-Մարգարյան Հրանտ),
2. Gabrielyan Levon (Գաբրիելյան Լևոն),
3. Harutyunyan Murad (Հարությունյան Մուրադ),
4. Harutyunyan Mushegh (Հարությունյան Մուշեղ),
5. Arakelyan Samo (Առաքելյան Սամո),
6. Arakelyan Sukias (Առաքելյան Սուքիաս),
7. Aghababyan Grigor (Աղաբաբյան Գրիգոր),
8. Khachatryan Manuk (Խաչատրյան Մանուկ),
9. Feodorov Aleksey (Ֆեոդորով Ալեքսեյ),
10. Mikhaelov Alexey (Միխայելով Ալեքսեյ),
11. Kordinyan Khachatur (Քորդինյան Խաչատուր),
12. Ghorghanyan Nikolai (Ղորղանյան Նիկոլայ)
13. Kocharyan Kamsar (Քոչարյան Կամսար),
14. Yengibaryan Levon (Ենգիբարյան Լևոն),
15. Tarverdyan Yeranos (Թարվերդյան Երանոս),
16. Muradkhanyan Tadevos (Մուրադխանյան Թադևոս),
17. Tamrazyan Vardan (Թամրազյան Վարդան),
18. Arazyan Arsen (Արազյան Արսեն),
19. Ordoyan Aram (Օրդոյան Արամ),
20. Bogdanyan Nikolai (Բոգդանյան Նիկոլայ),
21. Kemanchyan Galust (Քեմանչյան Գալուստ).

This list does not contain the names of Khmbapet Hamazasp (Խմբապետ Համազասպ), Macedon, Artush Khan, and Banvor Sergo (Բանվոր Սերգո) which are mentioned in all other sources (Simon Vratsyan, Oliver Baldwin, Bakhshi Ishkhanyan, Arshaluys Astvatsatryan). The missing names were also mentioned in various publications of the newspaper “Azat Hayastan” (Ազատ Հայաստան, Free Armenia).

Khmbapet Hamazasp (in the top row, first left) can be clearly seen in the famous photo with the killed heroes that Vratsyan presented in his book “Republic of Armenia”.

The following is noteworthy. The Emergency Group issued 21 execution orders, but 25 people were shot, not counting the 50 people who were shot on the night before. It is quite clear why they did this: Bolsheviks in this way showed their excessive loyalty to the Revkom.

The photos of the prison were taken in 1992. Currently, the dilapidated prison building is located next to the Media House and the printing house.

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