On this day...
June 9, 1981 - Geneva, Switzerland:
An Armenian gunman assassinates Turkish Consulate Secretary, Mehmet Savas Yerguz, as he is leaving his office. Swiss authorities apprehend Mardiros Jamgotchian. Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) claims responsibility for the assassination. Jamgotchian is convicted of the murder and sentenced to 15 years, though he serves only 10 years. In a communiqué in Beirut, Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) vows to "destroy Swiss interests throughout the world unless Jamgotchian is freed." Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) then forms a new branch, called the "Ninth of June Organization," which undertakes a series of 12 attacks against Swiss targets worldwide. Though Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) claims responsibility, few arrests are made.
ATAA condemns these acts of violence against innocent individuals and remembers these tragedies with great sorrow.
For more information, please visit: www.ataa.org.
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