YEREVAN. – A march will be held on January 26 in Armenia’s capital city of Yerevan.

The participants in the march will demand that Russian soldier Valery Permyakov, who is accused in the brutal murder of the Avetisyan family in Gyumri city, be handed over to Armenian law enforcement.

“The demand stems from Article 4 of the agreement the RA [i.e., the Republic of Armenia] and the RF [i.e., the Russian Federation] ‘On the Issues of Jurisdiction of the Matters in Connection with the Locating of the Russian Military Base in the RA Territory, and Mutual Legal Assistance.’

“This can serve as a guarantee for the impartial investigation of the case, and implementing justice for the sake of the Republic of Armenia.

“Our demand is just,” the initiative’s statement specifically reads.

As reported earlier, six members of the Avetisyan family—including a two-year-old girl—were shot dead, and a six-month-old baby was wounded in their house in Gyumri on January 12; but the baby boy died in hospital on Monday, January 19.

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 on the same night, he was arrested on January 14, and he 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.” And on Wednesday, January 21, the Investigative Committee of Armenia also filed a criminal charge against Permyakov, and with “premeditated murder of two or more persons.” The Russian soldier has accepted the charge.

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