During the 1981 Turkish consulate attack in Paris ( '' Van operation '' ) ASALA militants held 56 hostages for fifteen hours ; it became the first operation of its kind . Militants demanded release of political prisoners in Turkey including two Armenian clergymen , 5 Turks and 5 Kurds . Coverage of the takeover received one of the highest television ratings in France in 1981 . Among those who supported the militants during the trial were Henri Verneuil , Mélinée Manouchian , the widow of the French resistance hero , Missak Manouchian , and singer Liz Sarian
1981 Turkish consulate attack in Paris
1981 Turkish consulate attack in Paris
Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia