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Today marks the first anniversary of a tragedy in the city of Gyumri, Armenia’s Shirak province. On January 12, 2015, seven members of the Avetisyan family, including a 6-month-old boy, were murdered.

Valery Permyakov, a former soldier of the Russian 102md military base in Gyumri, was charged with the murder. He had been detained by Russian frontier guards on the night of January 13 while attempting to illegally cross the Armenian-Turkish border near Yeraskhavors village in Shirak province. Permaykov pleaded guilty to the crime.

According to the press service of Armenia’s Investigative Committee, based on the evidence collected during the preliminary investigation, on October 16 V. Permaykov was charged under the Armenian Criminal Code’s Article 104 part 2 points 1, 5, and 8 (contract murder of two or more people committed with cruelty, for mercenary motives, and combined with extortion, robbery or banditry), Article 175 part 2 points 3 and 4 (robbery committed after a break-in, with the use of weapons or other objects used as a weapon), and Article 34-329 part 1 (attempted violation of the state border of the Republic of Armenia without the necessary documents or permission). Permyakov pleaded guilty to the charges.  

A Russian garrison military court subordinate to the North Caucasian district military court held a hearing on August 12, 2015, in the Armenian city of Gyumri. The court sentenced Valery Permyakov to 10 years in high-security prison for desertion and theft of weapons. The murder case is being investigated separately by the Armenian side. 

The first hearing of the Avetisyan family murder case took place on December 18, 2015, in Gyumri, in the premises of the Russian 102nd military base. Defendant V. Permaykov’s lawyer filed a petition to Shirak regional court of general jurisdiction to postpone the trial for 30 days. The next sitting of the court is due on January 18.