Gyumri murder accused to have public defender

A public defender has been appointed for the serviceman of the Russian military base 102 Valery Permyakov, who stands accused of the brutal murder of Avetisyans family in Armenia’s Gyumri city on January 12. “By the decision of January 15 of the chairman of the Office of Public Defender and the decision of the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia and pursuant to the 10 th, 69 th and 70 tharticles of the Criminal Procedure Code and the 6 th, 41 stand 45 th articles of the Law on Advocacy of Armenia, Permyakov was assigned a public defender”, ­ told Armenpress the Armenia Chamber of Advocates Spokesperson Hayk Hakobyan, without mentioning the name of the public defender.

As reported earlier, six members of the Avetisyan family—including a two­year­old girl—were shot dead, and a six­month­old baby boy was wounded in their house in Gyumri on Monday. Valery Permyakov, a serviceman of the 102nd Russian military base in the city, stands accused in this crime. Permyakov was apprehended by the Russian border guards near the ArmenianTurkish border, and he was arrested on Wednesday. Valery Permyakov is held in custody at the Russian military base.

The soldier is charged under the Russian law, with the murder of more than two people, and desertion with a service weapon. The Investigative Committee of Armenia also has launched a criminal case on the murder.

The Prosecutor General’s Office had said Permyakov will face justice under Russian law, and this move provoked wave of protests in Armenia, especially in Gyumri and capital city Yerevan.