Hampig Sassounian Becomes a Father at 63, Names Children Artsakh and Shushi

More than four decades after his life became intertwined with one of the most controversial chapters of the Armenian struggle for genocide recognition, Hampig Sassounian has entered a new chapter: fatherhood.

The 63-year-old Sassounian has welcomed children named Artsakh and Shushi — two names carrying profound historical and emotional meaning for Armenians around the world.

Sassounian spent nearly 40 years in a California prison for the 1982 killing of Turkish Consul General Kemal Arikan in Los Angeles.

He was 19 when Arikan was shot and killed on January 28, 1982. Sassounian was later convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.

The killing took place during a turbulent period when Armenian militant organizations carried out attacks against Turkish diplomats in an effort to force international attention on the Armenian Genocide, which Turkey continues to deny.

The Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide claimed responsibility for Arikan’s killing. Sassounian denied being a member of the organization.

After decades of legal battles and parole hearings, Sassounian was released from prison in 2021 and moved to Armenia, beginning a life in the homeland after spending most of his adulthood behind bars.

Now, more than 40 years after entering prison as a young man, Sassounian has become a father.

The names chosen for his children carry their own weight.

Artsakh is the Armenian name for Nagorno-Karabakh, the ancestral homeland from which more than 120,000 Armenians were forcibly displaced following Azerbaijan’s September 2023 military offensive.

Shushi, meanwhile, is one of Artsakh’s most historically significant cities. The city came under Azerbaijani occupation during the 2020 war and remains deeply rooted in Armenian cultural and historical memory.