Gyumri Massacre Suspect will be Tried by Russian Military Court in Armenia

Commander of the Russian Base has been Dismissed

YEREVAN — Russian soldier Valery Permyakov charged with deserting a military base in Gyumri and murdering a local seven-member Armenian family earlier this year will be tried by a Russian military court in Armenia, according to a visiting Russian lawmaker.

Oleg Lebedev, the deputy head of the Russian Duma’s Committee for CIS Affairs, met with Armenian lawmakers in Yerevan to discuss the arrangements for Permyakov’s trial

A member of Armenia’s National Assembly, Aleksandr Arzumanian, repeated the demand of Armenian authorities that Permyakov be handed over and tried in an Armenian court, arguing the crime was committed on Armenian territory not on the grounds of the Russian base.

Lebedev told the Armenian officials that Permyakov’s trial for homicide would take place in Armenia “as the people of Armenia are requesting” but would be heard by a Russian military court.

Lebedev said Permyakov’s actions constituted a “military crime” and so fell under the jurisdiction of Russian laws.

In a related development, Felix Tsolakian, the governor of Armenia’s Shirak province, of which Gyumri is the capital, revealed on Sunday that the commander of the Russian base, Colonel Andrey Ruzinsky, has been sacked by the Russian military. Tsolakian also said several other Russian officers serving in Armenia have been subjected disciplinary action in connection with the killings.