YEREVAN. – Several dozens of people on Thursday have assembled outside the Office of the President of Armenia.

They are demanding that Russian soldier Valery Permyakov, who stands accused of Monday’s brutal killing of the Avetisyan family in Gyumri city, be tried and brought to justice in Armenia.

“This is in solidarity to the Gyumri residents; the objective is to show that we stand with them,” event organizer Davit Manukyan told reporters in attendance.

He added that if Permyakov were to serve his sentence in Russia, the Armenian citizens will not be so sure whether he really is serving a sentence.

Manukyan noted, however, that they have nothing against the Russian nation, and they do not give emphasis to the fact that Permyakov is a Russian.

“[This demonstration] is against the Russian policy and the spineless authorities of Armenia,” he stated, in particular.

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.