Permyakov may face additional charge, said Armenian GPP

The charge against Valery Permyakov, a Russian soldier, who confessed of a mass murder of the Avetisyan family in Gyumri, may be supplemented by the article about an attempt to illegally cross the state border, Gevork Kostanyan, the General Public Prosecutor (GPP) of Armenia, said at today's parliamentary hearings.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that at night on January 12, in Gyumri, six members of the Avetisyan family were assassinated. The only survivor of the attack – the six-month-old Sergey Avetisyan – was hospitalized in critical condition and underwent his treatment in Yerevan. On January 19, the baby's condition has deteriorated and he died. A Russian regular soldier Valery Permyakov is arrested as a suspect of committing the massacre. The mass murder in Gyumri triggered a wave of protests after the General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) of Armenia said the Russian soldier, suspected of the crime, would not be given out to Armenian law enforcement bodies, since he is a citizen of Russia.

Gevork Kostanyan told the MPs that law enforcement bodies of Armenia and Russia cooperate in the investigation of Permyakov's case, but at this stage of the inquiry, Armenian law enforcers are carrying out all the actions.

The GPP did not answer most of the questions raised by the MPs, noting that the investigation is not yet over, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

When asked whether the Russian party is present at interrogations of Permyakov, Kostanyan said that, according to the law, he is questioned only in the presence of an advocate; however, the parties intend to discuss the plan for mutual transfer of case files.

The GPP said that all the questions about how the criminal was found and why he was delivered to the Russian military base and under what circumstances, are still being investigated. According to Kostanyan, they also discuss different versions of the murder, including a possible prior Permyakov's links the Avetisyan family.

"After all these issues are cleared out; and should we have enough reason, I'll request the Russia's GPP to transfer the criminal to the Armenian party," said Kostanyan.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.