Gyumri massacre suspect to be tried under Russian law: official

Gyumri massacre suspect to be tried under Russian law: official

PanARMENIAN.Net - Valery Permyakov, the Russian soldier who is the main suspect in the murder of the Avetisyan family in Gyumri, will be tried in court according to the laws of the Russian Federation, Russian president’s spokesman said, according to Civilnet.

“Because he is a citizen of Russia, it’s natural that he should be tried according to Russian laws and by a Russian court. It is necessary to note that the leader of the Russian Investigative Committee is working in Gyumri and he has been tasked by the Russian president to work together with Armenian investigators. However, there will be a Russian trial and for such a monstrous crime, Russian law is absolutely merciless,” Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with Galatv.am on January 20.

That same day, Alexander Bastrykin, Head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation had a meeting with his Armenian counterpart Aghvan Hovsepyan and President Serzh Sargsyan.

During that meeting Serzh Sargsyan said that the Gyumri tragedy required steadfastness and “unprecedented consistency” to disclose all the details. He went on to stress that the law enforcement bodies of both Armenia and Russia must continue cooperating effectively to ensure a logical end to the process.

In the early morning hours of January 12, six members of the Avetisyan family were shot in their home and their six-month-old infant Seryozha Avetisyan was stabbed. The accused is Russian soldier Valery Permyakov stationed at the 102nd Russian Military Base in Gyumri. Permyakov was apprehended by Russian military personnel while trying to cross the Armenian-Turkish border. He is currently being held in custody at the Russian base. On January 14 and 15 protests took place in Gyumri and Yerevan demanding that the accused be handed over to Armenian authorities to stand trial in an Armenian court. On January 19, Seryozha Avetisyan succumbed to his injuries and died in hospital in Yerevan. A requiem service for the infant took place on January 20 in Gyumri.

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