Armenian Prosecutors Asks Life Sentence for Russian Soldier

GYUMRI — Gyumri city Prosecutor has demanded a life sentence for Valery Permyakov, a Russian soldier charged with killing an Armenian family of seven in the city on January 12, 2015.

Six members of the Avetisian family – including a two-year-old girl – were shot dead, and a six-month-old baby – Seryozha – who was seriously wounded and died a week later.

The case led to mass protests in Gyumri and Yerevan against Russia’s military presence in the country and calls for the trial to be heard by Armenian judges instead of Russian military judges.

In August 2015, a Russian court found Permyakov guilty of desertion and other charges. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was then handed over to Armenia for trial on murder charges.

Russia maintains a garrison of around 3,000 soldiers at the 102nd Military Base in Gyumri, some 120 kilometers northwest of the capital.