YEREVAN. – Head of EU delegation to Armenia Traian Hristea expressed condolences to the family and friends of the Avetisyans who were brutally killed in Gyumri.

“My deepest condolences for the familiy and their friends in Gyumry for their tragic, sudden and undeserved loss! May God rest them in peace!” he wrote on Facebook.

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 statement provoked wave of protests in Armenia, especially in Gyumri and capital city Yerevan.

The police had used special tools to disperse the crowd during Thursday’s clashes in Gyumri, and six police officers and nine civilians had sustained injuries during these clashes.