17 15.01.15 - Protest in front of Russian Embassy in Armenia with demand to pass Gyumri family murderer to the Armenian side Gyumri protesters clash with police outside Russian consulate January 16, 2015 - 11:43 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Hundreds of angry Gyumri residents clashed with police on Thursday, Jan 15 evening, as a peaceful demonstration at the Russian consulate, demanding the extradition of a Russian soldier who murdered a family of six in Gyurmi, turned violent, Asbarez reports. Protesters marched to the Russian consulate to demand the handover of Valery Permyakov to Armenian authorities, insisting that the murderer be tried by an Armenian court. Permyakov, a Russian soldier serving at Russia’s 102nd Air Base in Armenia, admitted to murdering six members of the Avetisyan family in Gyumri earlier this week, including a two-year-old, and injuring a six-month-old infant who survived despite receiving several stab wounds. Soon after his capture at the Turkish border, authorities announced that Permyakov would be tried in Armenia, but ostensibly by a Russian military tribunal. Russian military authorities promised “the most severe punishment” for Permyakov on Thursday, according to RFE/RL’s Armenian service. Demonstrators took to the streets in Gyumri after a public funeral for the Avetisyan family organized by local authorities. Some 2,000 people gathered in front of the local prosecutor’s office, before some of the protesters marched to the Russian consulate. Some of the demonstrators, most of them youths, then began to hurl stones at the Russian consulate and a police cordon. Police answered by firing tear gas and stun grenades into the crowd, using their truncheons to beat back protesters trying to approach the consulate. Several people were injured in the clashes, RFE/RL reports. Doctors at a local hospital said six protesters and two police officers were severely injured. Dozens of protesters were detained on the spot by police. The police have not yet reported on the arrests. The demonstrators eventually agreed to march back to the city center only after a lawmaker, Martun Grigorian, who represents a constituency of Gyumri in Armenia’s National Assembly, pleaded with the protesters to “Calm down and move on.” Earlier in the evening, Armenia’s Prosecutor-General Gevorg Kostanyan addressed the crowd from the heavily guarded building. “As prosecutor-general and a man, I am telling you that I will definitely appeal to Russia’s prosecutor-general with that demand,” Kostanyan assured the crowd. Russia’s Ambassador in Yerevan, Ivan Volynkin, also made a statement on Thursday. “Such atrocities have no justification. They have no nationality. The staff of the Russian Embassy shares the pain of this loss with the brotherly Armenian nation,” he said. Top stories The number of state universities will be reduced from 23 to 8 by 2030, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan has said. From September 21 to November 11, a total of 2,820 Russians registered at a place of residence in Armenia, the police has said. The situation on the contact line between Karabakh and Azerbaijan was relatively stable overnight, the Defense Army says. Defense Minister Suren Papikyan has visited the southern Armenian province of Syunik, the Defense Ministry reported on March 18. Partner news | Armenia to participate in key EU meeting for the first time ever National Assembly speaker Alen Simonyan has said that Armenia will for the first time participate in the Conference. U.S. reacts to Russia’s criticism of upcoming Armenia-EU-U.S. meeting Matthew Miller has weighed in on Russia’s criticism of an upcoming Armenia-EU-U.S. meeting. Lavrov sees ‘collapse’ of Russia’s ties with Armenia Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has underscored heightened tensions between Russia and Armenia. Russia clarifying reports on Baku’s alleged arms supply to Ukraine Russia says is carefully working to verify reports about alleged arms supplies from Azerbaijan to Ukraine |