YEREVAN. – A public defender has been appointed for Russian soldier Valery Permyakov, who stands accused of the brutal murder of a family in Armenia’s Gyumri city.

Armenia Chamber of Advocates Spokesperson Hayk Hakobyan confirmed this information, which Armenian News-NEWS.am had received.

He noted that, by the decision of the chairman of the Office of Public Defender, and pursuant to the Criminal Procedure Code and the Law on Advocacy of Armenia, Permyakov was assigned a public defender.

The Chamber of Advocates, however, considers it inexpedient to publicize the name of this attorney.

As reported earlier, six members of the Avetisyan family—including a two-year-old girl—were shot dead, and a six-month-old baby boy was wounded in their house in Gyumri on Monday. 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, and he was arrested on Wednesday. Valery Permyakov 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. The Investigative Committee of Armenia also has launched a criminal case on the murder.

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