Tamara Yayloyan was the attorney of Russian soldier Valery Permyakov, who stands accused of the brutal murder of the Avetisyan family members in Armenia’s Gyumri city, when he was still a suspect in this crime, and as his lawyer, she participated in several respective investigative actions, Yayloyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

The attorney was also present at Permyakov’s interrogation and private search at the Russian military base in Gyumri. 

“For the most part, he was responding ‘I can’t say’ to all the questions. Permyakov was saying that he randomly had entered that home [of the Avetisyan family]; he had just felt thirsty when reaching there, [and] decided to enter.

“Permyakov also said he did not intend to go to Turkey; he was just going, fleeing, [and] found himself near the border.

“He also says that he was alone,” the attorney stated, in particular.

Yayloyan added that while she was taking part in the investigations, the Russian investigator had said that, in all likelihood, Permyakov will be handed over to the Armenian side, and the prosecutors of the two countries need to reach an agreement.

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 murders.

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