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GYUMRI: SHOCK OF A TRIPLE CRIME
Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Jan 16 2015
16 January 2015 - 12:09pm
Susanna Petrosyan, Yerevan. Exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza
The murders of the Avetisyan family in Gyumri have shocked Armenian
society. A soldier of the Russian 102nd base, Valery Permyakov,
is a suspect. The reasons for the murders are unknown. Six people
were shot, including a two-year-old child (only a six-month baby
remained alive). The Investigative Committee of Armenia decided to name
Permyakov as defendant, according to item 1 of part 2 of article 104
of the Criminal Code of Armenia - murders of two or more people. The
crime caused a broad range of emotions in Armenia: from sympathy
and a feeling of great tragedy to indignation and expectation of a
fair punishment. Anti-Russian attitudes appeared as well. The most
demonstrative example of this was an automobile cortege in Gyumri
on January 14th and a subsequent protest act near the Russian base,
participants of which demanded that Permyakov should be given to
Armenian law-enforcement agencies and the trial should take place
in Armenia.
Emotional tension is used to exaggerate anti-Russian attitude by
representatives of certain non-governmental organizations which are
financed by the West. "Human right activists" shout that there are
no reasons for the Russian military base to stay on the territory
of Armenia and that the Russian authorities should apologize to the
Armenian nation. There are few chances that such anti-Russian views
will turn into wide-scale long-lasting protests, as Armenians regard
Russian positively and realize that criminals have no nationalities or
homelands. According to an MP from Dashnaktsutyun, Armen Rustamyan,
"the incident shouldn't be connected with the status of the Russian
military base and shifted to the sphere of bilateral relations." At
the same time, the MP pointed out disciplinary problems at the
base - Permyakov, who was on sentry duty on January 12, the day
of the murders, deserted his post and escaped the military unit,
carrying a sub-machine gun. The head of the parliamentary faction of
the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, Vagram Dagdasaryan, wonders
why the question of the reasonability of the presence of the Russian
military base in Armenia is raised in the context of the incident.
This is the second such incident. In 1999 two soldiers from the Gyumri
border detachment, who had drank too much, deserted the base and went
to a city market where they intended to find more alcohol. They fought
with traders who didn't want to sell alcohol to very drunk soldiers.
The border guards returned to the base, beat up a sentry, took his
sub-machine gun, returned to the market, and fired desultory shots. As
a result, two people were killed, eight people were injured. The
border guards were disarmed by traders and taken to the police. In
2013 two teenagers from a local village situated near the base entered
an armor training battlefield, searching for scrap metal and tripped
a mine. As for the incident on January 12, the main question is where
the Russian soldier who admitted his guilt will be judged - in Armenia
or in Russia. According to the General Prosecution Service of Armenia,
it was decided that Permyakov will remain under the control of the
Russian law-enforcement agencies and won't be given to the Armenian
side. Such a decision was based on article 61 of the Criminal Code
of Russia and the Constitution of Armenia. However, the next day the
General Prosecutor of Armenia, Gevork Kostanyan, stated that Permyakov
will be judged in Armenia.
He is accused of three crimes, one of which - deserting his post -
was committed on the territory of the base, which was under Russian
jurisdiction; two others were committed on the territory of Armenia
(the murders of six people and attempting to cross the Armenian-Turkish
border, where he was disarmed by Russian border guards and carried to
the base). According to the Armenian-Russian agreement on jurisdiction
and mutual legal support, which is connected with the presence of the
Russian military base on the territory of the Republic of Armenia,
the operation of laws of one or another country depends on the place
where a crime has been committed.
Considering the agreement and specificity of the crime, the
law-enforcement agencies of Russia and Armenia will provide a joint
investigation, which could last for a long time. It is notable that the
trial over the two border guards took place in Armenia and was headed
by an Armenian judge in 1999. The Russian soldiers were sentenced to
jail on the territory of Armenia. All parliamentary political forces
took moderate positions and didn't stir up anti-Russian attitudes.
http://vestnikkavkaza.net/analysis/society/64760.html
Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Jan 16 2015
16 January 2015 - 12:09pm
Susanna Petrosyan, Yerevan. Exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza
The murders of the Avetisyan family in Gyumri have shocked Armenian
society. A soldier of the Russian 102nd base, Valery Permyakov,
is a suspect. The reasons for the murders are unknown. Six people
were shot, including a two-year-old child (only a six-month baby
remained alive). The Investigative Committee of Armenia decided to name
Permyakov as defendant, according to item 1 of part 2 of article 104
of the Criminal Code of Armenia - murders of two or more people. The
crime caused a broad range of emotions in Armenia: from sympathy
and a feeling of great tragedy to indignation and expectation of a
fair punishment. Anti-Russian attitudes appeared as well. The most
demonstrative example of this was an automobile cortege in Gyumri
on January 14th and a subsequent protest act near the Russian base,
participants of which demanded that Permyakov should be given to
Armenian law-enforcement agencies and the trial should take place
in Armenia.
Emotional tension is used to exaggerate anti-Russian attitude by
representatives of certain non-governmental organizations which are
financed by the West. "Human right activists" shout that there are
no reasons for the Russian military base to stay on the territory
of Armenia and that the Russian authorities should apologize to the
Armenian nation. There are few chances that such anti-Russian views
will turn into wide-scale long-lasting protests, as Armenians regard
Russian positively and realize that criminals have no nationalities or
homelands. According to an MP from Dashnaktsutyun, Armen Rustamyan,
"the incident shouldn't be connected with the status of the Russian
military base and shifted to the sphere of bilateral relations." At
the same time, the MP pointed out disciplinary problems at the
base - Permyakov, who was on sentry duty on January 12, the day
of the murders, deserted his post and escaped the military unit,
carrying a sub-machine gun. The head of the parliamentary faction of
the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, Vagram Dagdasaryan, wonders
why the question of the reasonability of the presence of the Russian
military base in Armenia is raised in the context of the incident.
This is the second such incident. In 1999 two soldiers from the Gyumri
border detachment, who had drank too much, deserted the base and went
to a city market where they intended to find more alcohol. They fought
with traders who didn't want to sell alcohol to very drunk soldiers.
The border guards returned to the base, beat up a sentry, took his
sub-machine gun, returned to the market, and fired desultory shots. As
a result, two people were killed, eight people were injured. The
border guards were disarmed by traders and taken to the police. In
2013 two teenagers from a local village situated near the base entered
an armor training battlefield, searching for scrap metal and tripped
a mine. As for the incident on January 12, the main question is where
the Russian soldier who admitted his guilt will be judged - in Armenia
or in Russia. According to the General Prosecution Service of Armenia,
it was decided that Permyakov will remain under the control of the
Russian law-enforcement agencies and won't be given to the Armenian
side. Such a decision was based on article 61 of the Criminal Code
of Russia and the Constitution of Armenia. However, the next day the
General Prosecutor of Armenia, Gevork Kostanyan, stated that Permyakov
will be judged in Armenia.
He is accused of three crimes, one of which - deserting his post -
was committed on the territory of the base, which was under Russian
jurisdiction; two others were committed on the territory of Armenia
(the murders of six people and attempting to cross the Armenian-Turkish
border, where he was disarmed by Russian border guards and carried to
the base). According to the Armenian-Russian agreement on jurisdiction
and mutual legal support, which is connected with the presence of the
Russian military base on the territory of the Republic of Armenia,
the operation of laws of one or another country depends on the place
where a crime has been committed.
Considering the agreement and specificity of the crime, the
law-enforcement agencies of Russia and Armenia will provide a joint
investigation, which could last for a long time. It is notable that the
trial over the two border guards took place in Armenia and was headed
by an Armenian judge in 1999. The Russian soldiers were sentenced to
jail on the territory of Armenia. All parliamentary political forces
took moderate positions and didn't stir up anti-Russian attitudes.
http://vestnikkavkaza.net/analysis/society/64760.html