Harry Sassounian

Harry M. Sassounian
Hampig Sassounian
Born (1963-01-01) January 1, 1963
Beirut, Lebanon
Known forAssassination of Kemal Arıkan
Criminal statusParoled
MotiveTurkey's denial of the Armenian Genocide
ConvictionFirst degree murder (reduced from first degree murder with special circumstances in a plea agreement
Criminal penaltyLife imprisonment without parole; commuted to 25 years to life
Details
VictimsKemal Arıkan, 54
CountryUnited States
LocationLos Angeles, California

Hampig Sassounian (Western Armenian: Համբիկ Սասունեան; born January 1, 1963) or Harry M. Sassounian (Western Armenian: Հարրի Մ. Սասունեան), is an American citizen involved in the 1982 assassination of Turkish Consul General Kemal Arıkan in Los Angeles. He was identified as one of two gunmen by witnesses. In court, Sassounian said he was motivated by the Turkish government's open denial of the Armenian genocide. The jury determined that Arıkan was targeted due to his nationality.[1] Sassounian was sentenced to life, but was granted parole in 2021. He subsequently moved to Armenia on 29 October 2021.[2]

Assassination

Arıkan was gunned down in his car by two gunmen while waiting at a red light on the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Comstock Street in the Westwood area of Los Angeles. President Ronald Reagan condemned the murder as "an apparent act of terrorism".[3]

The jury determined that Sassounian had shot Arıkan to death, on January 28, 1982, at 9:40 a.m. Sassounian was sentenced to life in prison. The jury determined that the killing targeted Arıkan based on his nationality, for that reason, Sassounian was given no chance of parole.[4][5]

His judicial expenses were once paid by Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) using funds raised for this purpose.[6]

Parole

In 2002, prosecutors agreed to drop the "national origin" special circumstance of the case, making Sassounian eligible for parole, in exchange for his admitting his guilt and formally apologizing.[7] "I participated in the murder of Kemal Arıkan. I renounce the use of terrorist tactics to achieve political goals. I regret the suffering of the Arıkan family."[7]

The California Prison Parole Board rejected Sassounian's demands of release in 2006, 2010 and 2013.[8] The California Board of Parole granted parole to Sassounian on 14 December 2016.[9] Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the decision of his release and Turkish American groups urged the California Governor to deny parole. California Governor Jerry Brown denied the parole in May 2017, vetoing the board's decision. In a statement, Brown said he believes Sassounian would still pose "an unreasonable danger to society if released," adding that "[t]he killing was a deliberate, planned assassination of a diplomat, plotted at least two weeks in advance."[10]

Similarly, on 27 December 2019, the California Board of Parole approved the release of Sassounian. Gavin Newsom rejected the decision, despite a collective plea of the Pan-Armenian Council of the Western United States asking Newsom for the release of Sassounian.[11][12][13]

Newsom vetoed Sassounian's parole, declaring the Governor Gavin Newsom. Later that year, however, the veto was overturned by a court in Los Angeles. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge William C. Ryan ruled that Newsom's decision had been based on "an improper standard upon Petitioner when considering both the 'import' of his offense and the notoriety of his victim." Ryan found nothing to suggest that there was "some evidence", as Newsome had claimed, that Sassounian still posed a danger to society. He concluded his decision by stating that Sassounian "committed a murder for which he has been appropriately punished.[14] After Newsome decided not to appeal the change, and Sassounian was released from prison in 2020. He moved to Armenia in 2021.[15]

Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed disappointment in the parole decision: "Attacking a diplomat is not only a grave crime against a particular individual, it is also an attack on diplomacy itself. To ensure the safety of the dedicated U.S. diplomats serving around the world, it has been the longstanding position of the United States to advocate that those who assassinate diplomats receive the maximum sentence possible, and that they serve those sentences without parole or early release."[16]

On the October 29, 2021, the ARF Western Region informed the public that Sassounian has arrived in Armenia, implying that he is free.[17][2]

Personal life

Sassounian was born on January 1, 1963, in Beirut, Lebanon. He hails from a family of Lebanese Armenian émigrés.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "After nearly 40 years, man who assassinated Turkish consul in L.A. is getting parole". Los Angeles Times. 2021-03-13. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
  2. ^ a b "Hampig Sassounian freed, arrives in Armenia". The Armenian Weekly. 2021-10-30. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
  3. ^ Ronald Reagan. Statement on the Assassination of Turkish Consul General Kemal Arikan, January 28th, 1982
  4. ^ PEOPLE v. SASSOUNIAN (1986) 182 CA3d 361, archived from the original on 1 June 2019, retrieved 29 December 2019
  5. ^ New York Times. Assassin Gets Life Term. June 16, 1984
  6. ^ Asbarez, October 15, 1983; The Armenian Weekly, January 14, 1984, pp. 1-6 ; Haïastan (Paris), special issue about Sassounian affair, February 1984; Haytoug, November-December 2000, p. 9; “Sassounian Thanks Community for Continued Support”, Asbarez, November 2nd, 2001; “More Than $70 000 Raised for Hampig Sassounian Defense Effort”, Asbarez, February 25, 2002; "Meeting the Man Behind the Idea", Haytoug, Spring 2008, pp. 7-8; Flyer Archived 2021-04-10 at the Wayback Machine of ARF, French branch, July 2008.
  7. ^ a b Laird, Lorelei (21 October 2002). "Sassounian Gets Life With Parole for Assassination in Sentencing Deal". Metropolitan News-Enterprise. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  8. ^ ATAA Assures California Prison Parole Board Denies Parole to Armenian Terrorist Sassounian Archived 2010-09-17 at the Wayback Machine; California Parole Board denies parole to Armenian terrorist Hampig "Harry" Sassounian Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ Daily Sabah: California issues parole for Armenian terrorist serving life sentence for Turkish diplomat’s murder
  10. ^ Public Raduio of Armenia: California Governor vetoes parole for Hampig Sassounian, archived from the original on 12 October 2018, retrieved 29 December 2019
  11. ^ ANCA-WR: INDETERMINATE SENTENCE PAROLE RELEASE REVIEW (Penal Code Section 3041.2) - HARRY SASSOUNIAN, C-88440 signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, Governor of the State of California (25 May 2020)
  12. ^ Pan Armenian Council of Western U.S. Calls on Newsom to Release Hampig Sassounian, Asbarez.com, 8 June 2020, retrieved 10 June 2020
  13. ^ Siranush Ghazanchyan (5 June 2020). "ANCA-WR expresses concern over Governor Newsom's refusal to grant parole to Hampig Sassounian". Public Radio of Armenia. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  14. ^ Taub, David (2021-03-12). "Armenian Community, State Department Split Over California Release of Turkish Diplomat Assassin". GV Wire. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  15. ^ "After nearly 40 years, man who assassinated Turkish consul in L.A. is getting parole". Los Angeles Times. 2021-03-13. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  16. ^ "The Expected Parole of Hampig "Harry" Sassounian". United States Department of State. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  17. ^ "BREAKING: HAMPIG SASSOUNIAN ARRIVES IN ARMENIA". ARF Western U.S.A. 2021-10-29. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
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