Kostanyan: Permyakov to be held liable under Russian legislation

Armenian Prosecutor General Gevorg Kostanyan said during a press conference today that Armenia is taking all the necessary measures so that Russian serviceman Valery Permyakov accused of killing of six people in the city of Gyumri will be held liable in accordance with Armenian legislation and international law.

According to the prosecutor, Article 4 of the agreement between Russia and Armenia on mutual legal assistance in cases related to the Russian military base in Armenia says that legislation of the Republic of Armenia is applied and its competent bodies deal with cases on crimes and other offences committed in the territory of Armenia by the personnel of the Russian military base or their family members.

“Yet the next article indicates a number of exceptions when a military crime is committed.  In other words, if the military crime is committed in the territory of the military base or outside it, then the person is held responsible under Russian legislation,” G. Kostanyan noted.

He quoted Article 5 of the Agreement saying: “Order stipulated by Article 4 of the Agreement is not applied to cases on crimes or other offences committed by military personnel of the Russian military base or their family members in the territory of deployment places of the Russian military base; to cases on crimes committed against the Russian Federation or military personnel of the Russian military base or their family members; to cases on military crimes. Legislation of the Russian Federation is applied and its competent bodies deal with cases on crimes indicated in this Article. The clauses of this Article also apply to crimes committed by unknown persons in the territory of deployment places of the Russian military base”.

The prosecutor general also said that given the fact that the crime was committed in the territory of Armenia and is under the jurisdiction of Armenia, the Armenian side opened a criminal case.