Civilnet
Armenia's Prosecutor General Gevorg Kostanyan.
Armenia’s Prosecutor General Gevorg Kostanyan has written to his Russian counterpart Yuri Chalkay asking that Russian soldier Valery Permyakov, who is accused in the murder of the seven members of the Avetisyan family in Gyumri on January 12, be transferred over to the jurisdiction of Armenian law enforcement authorities.
A statement released by the Prosecutor General’s office cited Article 6 that refers to jurisdiction of the 1997 bilateral treaty between Armenia and Russia regulating the existence of the 102nd Russian Base in Gyumri.
In the early morning hours of January 12, six members of the Avetisyan family were shot in their home and their six-month-old infant Seryozha Avetisyan was stabbed; a week later the infant succumbed to his injuries in hospital.
The accused, Russian soldier Valery Permyakov was stationed at the 102nd Russian Military Base in Gyumri.
Following the massacre, a nationwide manhunt ensued. Permyakov was apprehended by Russian military personnel trying to cross the Armenia-Turkey border.
A day after the murder, on January 13, Prosecutor General Kostanyan announced that the Russian side would maintain custody of the Russian soldier until, at least, the end of the criminal investigation. In a written statement, the prosecutor general referred to an article of the Russian constitution that prohibits the extradition of Russian citizens to foreign states, alluding that Permyakov would not be handed over to the Armenian side to stand trial for the murders that rocked the nation.
The 1997 Armenia-Russian treaty that regulates the Russian military presence in Armenia clearly states that any crime committed outside the base by Russian military personnel, will be subjected to Armenian security forces and Armenian law, however, since Permyakov was allegedly caught by the Russians and taken to the Russian military base, the Russians contend that they are not obligated to hand him over to Armenian jurisdiction.
Kostanyan’s January 13 statement caused an uproar throughout the country. On January 14 and 15 violent protests took place in Gyumri and Yerevan demanding that the accused be handed over to Armenian authorities and to stand trial in an Armenian court. Facing hundreds of protesters, Kostanyan promised that he would appeal to Russia’s Prosecutor General to have the accused extradited.
Russian authorities for their part insisted that a thorough investigation would ensue and that the accused would be tried to the full extent of the law. Permyakov was charged with desertion and with the multiple homicide. He continues to be held in custody at the Russian base in Gyumri.
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