Armenian rights defenders doubt that Permyakov will be given out to Armenian law enforcers

The Russian soldier Valery Permyakov, accused of killing the Avetisyan family in Gyumri, must face the Armenian justice, rights defenders of Armenia believe. However, they doubt that the Russian party will give him out to Armenia.

Earlier, an official of the General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) of Armenia said that Permyakov would not be given out to Armenian law enforcement bodies, since he is a citizen of Russia and is under the jurisdiction of the Russian investigative authorities. Later, however, Gevorg Kostanyan, the General Public Prosecutor of Armenia announced his intention to demand from Russia to extradite Permyakov.

In the opinion of Avetik Ishkhanyan, the chairman of the Helsinki Committee of Armenia, if we assume that Permyakov was detained by Russian border guards, then, law enforcement bodies of Armenia should be made responsible for their failure to promptly take steps to arrest him.

Ishkhanyan has added that the official version of the murder suggesting that Permyakov went into the Avetisyans' house just to drink water and assassinated the whole family has caused distrust both in the majority of Gyumri residents, and in society as a whole.

The rights defender believes that should Russia refuse to give Permyakov out to Armenia, there are doubts that he will be at all punished for the massacre.

At the same time, Ishkhanyan condemned the harsh actions of the police against the protesters who came out to rally in Yerevan.

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