ARMENIANS PROTEST KILLINGS BY RUSSIAN SOLDIER
The Moscow Times, Russia
Jan 14 2015
The Moscow Times
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of the Armenian city of
Gyumri on Wednesday, demanding that a Russian soldier who admitted
to killing six members of a local family be brought to justice in
their country, the Interfax news agency reported.
Valery Permyakov, a soldier deployed at Russia’s military base in
Gyumri, was detained by Russian authorities Tuesday when attempting
to cross the border into neighboring Turkey. He was later handed
over to his Russian military commander and admitted to the killings,
the RIA Novosti news agency reported.
Permyakov’s return to his military base prompted fears among the
local population that he would not be held responsible for his crimes.
Demonstrators gathered in front of the military base, the Russian
consulate and Gyumri’s regional administration building, Interfax
reported.
“The issue surrounding Permyakov’s transfer to Armenia has not been not
settled,” Interfax quoted Raffi Aslanyan, the prosecutor of Armenia’s
Shirak province, as saying. “The issue is on the agenda.”
The Armenian Prosecutor General’s Office has said that under Russia’s
Constitution, Russian citizens detained by Russian authorities on
suspicion of having committed a crime cannot be handed over to another
country, Interfax reported.
It remains unclear what prompted the soldier to commit the massacre,
whose victims included a 2-year-old. RIA Novosti reported that
Permyakov had entered the family’s home on Monday night because he
was thirsty.
A 6-month-old baby who survived the attack is currently being treated
for stab wounds in a hospital.
Armenian lawmakers had said the incident would spark debate about
Russia’s military presence in the country.