T. Yaloyan: Permyakov didn’t leave impression he is mentally ill

Soldier of the Russian 102nd military base Valery Permyakov accused of killing six people in Gyumri did not leave an impression that he is a mentally ill man, his former lawyer, Ms. Tamara Yaloyan, told Aysor.am. 

As was reported, a public defender has been assigned to Permyakov by a decision of a special investigator of Armenia’s Investigative Committee.

The lawyer said she was present during Permyakov’s questioning, search, and taking samples for tests. She expressed hope that al the tests will be conducted in Armenia.

“He did not leave an impression of a mentally ill person. He responded to questions briefly, and sometimes fell asleep during his questioning, probably because of being tired”, she said. 

According to the lawyer, Permyakov said he was not acquainted with the Avetisyans, he just went for a walk, and when he reached that house he wanted to drink some water and climbed through a window.

“He said there were three rooms in the house and there was a man in the first room. The man woke up and shouted something in Armenian. Pemyakov said he does not know Armenian, and when the man reached for the phone, Permyakov fired, and then he heard voices from the second room. He entered that room, saw two people and killed them, and there were another four people in the third room, he shoot three of them, and when he was going to shoot the little boy, his gun misfired so he stabbed him with his knife-bayonet. Then he changed clothes, drank some water and left,” the lawyer said.

According to T. Yaloyan, when asked why he killed the people, why he killed the child, Permyakov replied he could not say. “Permyakov said he had no intention of fleeing to Turkey, he just walked until he reached the state border,” the lawyer said.

‘When the investigator asked him if he regrets what he has done, Permyakov said he regrets”.

Asked if she considers Permyakov’s words trustworthy, Tamara Yaloyan said it is incorrect to answer that question because she was his lawyer, while trustworthiness of his words will be determined after the evidence is compared. “There are people who say something without logic,” she said.

In her words, Permyakov claims he acted alone.

Asked if rumors that the Russian side filed a second criminal case against Permyakov are true, the lawyer said he is charged with murder and desertion.

 Asked if she considers the fact that the Russian side does not hand over Permyakov to Armenian law enforcers as justified from a legal point of view, the lawyer said she is not an international law expert, but under Russian laws, they shall not hand over their citizens to another state. In her words, the military base where Permyakov is being held is subordinate to the Russian authorities.

The lawyer said she would never speak on this subject - but for rumors that she agreed to defend Permyakov for money. “I am not a public defender, I am a lawyer, but money has nothing to do here. I condemn that crime and I refused to defend Permyakov’s interests,” Tamara Yaloyan said.

Six members of the Avetisyan family, including a two-year-old girl, were killed in Gyumri on January 12. A seventh member of the family – a 6-mponth-old boy was hospitalized in critical condition with stab wounds. Russian serviceman Valery Permyakov is suspected of the crime. 

On the night of January 13 Russian border guards detained the main suspect – conscript of the Russian 102nd military base Valery Permyakov during an attempt to cross the Armenian-Russian border. He gave evidence and confessed to the crime. He is held in custody. Armenia’s Investigative Committee opened a criminal case under Article 104 (murder) of the Criminal Code.