Rights defenders call on to investigate violations committed during detention of Valery Permyakov

Arthur Sakunts, the head of the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Vanadzor Office, and Araik Zalyan, a lawyer of the organization, who represent the interests of one of the successors of the Avetisyan family, have appealed to the National Security Service of Armenia. They demand to institute a criminal case against Russian border guards, who detained Valery Permyakov, accused in the massacre in Gyumri, without the consent of the Armenian side.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that at night on January 12, in Gyumri, an attack on the Avetisyan family was undertaken – six family members were killed on the spot; and on January 19, the only survival in the attack – Sergey Avetisyan, a 6-month-old baby, died from received wounds in hospital. A conscript-soldier from Russia Valery Permyakov is accused of committing the mass murder.

"On January 13, 2015, at 0:15 a.m. local time, Russian border guards detected a person, who was attempting to violate the Armenian-Turkish state border, and they failed to report on the incident to the National Security Service of Armenia or to the Armenian law enforcement bodies," the appeal emphasizes.

According to Arthur Sakunts, the Russian border guards "detained and hid Valery Permyakov in the literal sense of the words." The rights defender does not believe that the National Security Service of Armenia will take the necessary measures. However, according to Arthur Sakunts, the appeal had to be filed to the security services in order to give a legal assessment and formulation of the case.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.