YEREVAN. – The weakness of Armenia’s political arena openly manifested itself at the cost of seven human lives, Aravot daily wrote.

“Both the authorities and the non-government forces did not even try to act on behalf of the interests of the Armenian citizens, the state, even at the basis of the terribly violent crime. 

“The events that followed the brutal murder in Gyumri showed that the authorities and the non-government [forces] were mostly concerned and worried by the chance of the formation of a new movement, supposing that such a movement will no longer be controlled by the non-government [forces], and, what it is more important, it will not be loyal to the ‘non-anti-Russian line,’” Aravot wrote.

As reported earlier, six members of the Avetisyan family—including a two-year-old girl—were shot dead, and a six-month-old baby was wounded in their house in Gyumri on January 12; but the baby boy died in hospital on Monday, January 19.

Valery Permyakov, a serviceman of the 102nd Russian Military Base in the city, stands accused in this crime. Permyakov was apprehended by the Russian border guards near the Armenian-Turkish border on the same night, he was arrested on January 14, and he is held in custody at the Russian military base.

The soldier is charged under Russian law, with “the murder of more than two people” and “desertion with a service weapon.” And on Wednesday, January 21, the Investigative Committee of Armenia also filed a criminal charge against Permyakov, and with “premeditated murder of two or more persons.” The Russian soldier has accepted the charge.

The Prosecutor General’s Office of Armenia had stated that Valery Permyakov will face justice under Russian law, and this information had provoked a wave of protests in Armenia, especially in Gyumri and capital city Yerevan.