Prosecutor general to contact Russian counterpart over Permyakov case

Armenian Prosecutor General Gevorg Kostanyan will ask his Russian counterpart to transfer the case of Russian soldier Valery Permyakov accused of killing six people in Gyumri to Armenian law enforcers.

“You demanded that I should write a letter to Russia’s prosecutor general. I intend to ask the Russian prosecutor general to transfer the case to Armenian jurisdiction,” Kostanyan told protesters in Gyumri.

When asked what if his request is denied, Kostanyan said thatall  further actions will be discussed after the Russian side’s answer is received.

A protest was staged today outside the prosecutor’s office of Shirak province, with demands to hand over the accused person Valery Permyakov to Armenian law enforcers. The protesters told the Armenian prosecutor general to write a letter with that demand to the Russian prosecutor general or to resign.

Six members of the Avetisyan family, including a two-year-old child, were killed in the city of Gyumri on January 12. The seventh member of the family, a six-month-old boy, was hospitalized in critical condition with stab wounds.

Valery Permyakov, a serviceman of the Russian military base, was detained. He is being held at the Russian military base in Gyumri. On Wednesday he was charged with crimes under the Criminal Codes of Armenia and Russia.

The funeral ceremony of six family members was held in Gyumri today.