YEREVAN. – Residents of Yerevan staged a protest action in Liberty Square and marched to the presidential residence demanding that Russian soldier Valery Permaykov, the accused in murder of six-member Gyumri family, must be handed over to the Armenian side (Photos).

They also called to announce days of mourning, and promised to come back to the square unless their demand is satisfied. Another action will be staged near Russian Embassy in Yerevan.

 “The criminal must be held accountable in Armenia, the investigation should take place in Armenia. We have an agreement with Russia on the deployment of Russian military base which states that if a representative of a military base committed committed a crime on the territory of Armenia, he should be handed over to the Armenian law enforcement agencies,” protester Narek Ayvazyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Six members of the Avetisyan family were shot dead and the six-month-old baby was wounded in their house in Gyumri on Monday. Valery Permyakov, a serviceman of the city’s Russian 102nd Military Base, was called the accused in this crime. Permyakov was apprehended by the Russian border guards near the Armenian-Turkish border.