Shirak province prosecutor urges protesters to wait 2-3 days

The issue of handing over Russian soldier Valery Permyakov, who is accused of killing six members of a Gyumri family, to Armenian law enforcers has not been removed from the agenda, Prosecutor of  Armenia’s Shirak province Raffi Aslanyan told the protesters gathered outside the Russian 102nd military base in Gyumri. 

As was reported earlier, Armenian law enforcers blocked the protesters’ way to the Russian military base, but protesters managed to break through the police cordon.

The participants of the protest involving over 300 cars are outside the Russian 102nd military base. The situation is quite tense, and Russian servicemen, including armed ones, have gathered near the checkpoint of the military base.

R. Aslanyan said that the criminal case is outside the scope of powers of the Office of Armenian Prosecutor General, but the Office continues to control the investigation into the case. Raffi Aslanyan’s words caused discontent among the protesters who urged him to hand over V. Permyakov or to resign.

“As the regional prosecutor, I consider it to be my duty to go to Yerevan so as to clarify information about the criminal case and inform Gyumri residents about it. The criminal case is under control of Russian law enforcement agencies, an investigation is underway. He has already been charged, which means that we are conducting our own preliminary investigation. I understand that it is hard to control emotions – we also have children and it is a tragedy of the nation, not of one family,” the regional prosecutor said. 

R. Aslanyan said that protests can be held tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, but now it is necessary to wait 2-3 days, but protesters interrupted him.

The Shirak prosecutor urged those present to form a delegation of 20 people and go to the buildings of the police and the prosecutor’s office as it is no use staging a protest outside the Russian 102nd military base.

Six members of a family, including a two-year-old child, were killed in Gyumri on January 12. A 6-month-old boy was hospitalized in critical condition. Soldier of the Russian 102nd military base Valery Permyakov is suspected of the killings. He was detained and confessed to the crime.