A lawyer representing relatives of the seven members of an Armenia family murdered in Gyumri alleged on Tuesday “very serious obstacles” in an ongoing criminal investigation into the massacre blamed on a Russian soldier.
Lusine Sahakian said Armenian investigators will have serious trouble solving the crime as long as the suspect, Valery Permyakov, remains in Russian custody. She said Russian authorities are also withholding important evidence that could shed more light on the January 12 killing spree that sparked anti-Russian protests in Gyumri.
“There are very serious obstacles in terms of an effective investigation into the case,” Sahakian told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). She claimed that Armenia’s Investigative Committee, a law-enforcement body handling the case, is finding it extremely difficult to conduct a “comprehensive inquiry.”
Citing the findings of its forensic experts, the Investigative Committee said on Monday that all 32 bullets found in the Avetisian family’s Gyumri house were fired from a single assault rifle belonging to Permyakov.
Permyakov allegedly left the Kalashnikov rifle and his military uniform at the scene of the gruesome crime. According to Armenian and Russian authorities, he was arrested by Russian border guards deployed along Armenia’s border with Turkey and handed over to a Russian military base headquartered in Gyumri later on January 12. Although Permyakov is said to have confessed to the slaughter, little is known about his motives.
The Russian military has allowed Armenian investigators to interrogate him at the base’s detention center. However, the Russian custody of the suspect appears to be limiting their ability to conduct all necessary forensic tests and take other investigative actions.
Russian law-enforcement authorities have been conducting a separate inquiry which is supposedly coordinated with their Armenian colleagues. But few of its details have been made public.
The Russians have so far refused to hand over the accused soldier to the Armenian side, citing a clause in the Russian constitution. Their stance, coupled with Yerevan’s reluctance to press harder for Permyakov’s extradition, sparked angry street protests in Gyumri on January 14-15.
Non-partisan organizers of those protests have pledged to stage more rallies if Moscow remains adamant about keeping custody of Permyakov and prosecuting him under Russian law.