Start of trial of Permyakov's desertion scheduled for August 12
The first open session on the case of the desertion and theft of firearms by Valery Permyakov, who is also accused of massacring the Avetisyan family in Gyumri, will take place on August 12. The court has extended his arrest until January 30, 2016.
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 on January 19, he died. A Russian regular soldier Valery Permyakov was arrested as a suspect of committing the massacre. Permyakov officially admitted the charges against him. The mass murder in Gyumri caused a wave of protests after a GPO source said that the suspect would not be handed over to Armenian law enforcement bodies, since he is a citizen of Russia.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on June 26, during the meeting of the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan with the Russian delegation headed by Maxim Sokolov, the Minister of Transports of Russia and the Co-Chair of the Armenian-Russian Intergovernmental Commission, the decision was announced to transfer the Permyakov's murder case to the Armenian party.
"The trial will last for 7-10 days," the "Interfax" reported on August 5, citing its source familiar with the situation.
According to the source, the court session will be open. After passing the verdict, the Russian soldier will be handed over to the Armenian Justice for the consideration of the case on the murder of seven persons in Gyumri, which was jointly run by investigators of Russia and Armenia.
It was also reported that Valery Permyakov's arrest was extended.
"The arrest has been extended until January 30, 2016," the TASS quoted on August 5 Alyona Katskalo, the press secretary of the North-Caucasian District Military Court.
Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.