Protestors in Gyumri demand strict control of servicemen of Russian military base

A protest action is being held in Gyumri in the memory of the Avetisyans family murdered by serviceman of Russian military base in 2015 and Julietta Ghukasyan beaten to death on December 2, 2018 again by serviceman of the same base.

The protest action is led by member of Galla party of the Gyumri City Council Levon Barseghyan. He said they have submitted demands to the Armenian and Russian authorities. In the demand addressed to the Armenian and Russian authorities the protestors urge to undertake all the possible efforts for the transfer of the suspect in the murder of Julietta Ghukasyan to the Armenian side.

“From the Armenian authorities we also demand taking under strict control the barracks and military bases. They are at least five,” Barseghyan said, adding that while saying control they mean placing barriers and barbed wires to block the entrance and exit from the military units from not permitted places.

Barseghyan also offered installation of cameras across the military units and set a police control in the territories where the servicemen live.

“They mainly live in military district in Gyumri. Different people live there. We demand control in the settlement by the military police,” he said.

As to the demands to the Russian side, Barseghyan said the Russian side is to examine the moral-psychological situation in the military base, the food, the existing issues which periodically raise dissatisfaction which in their turn result in committing crimes.

“According to our calculations, since 1999, 12 people were killed by the servicemen of the Russian military base,” he added.