YEREVAN. - The Cassation Court of Armenia has rejected the claim related to the murder of the Avetisyan family in Gyumri in January 2015.
Attorney of the aggrieved party, Artur Sakunts, told Armenian News – NEWS.am that the judgment of the Cassation Court was announced on Friday “The court considered the claim unsubstantiated,” Sakunts said, adding that the domestic remedies of Armenia are thereby exhausted and they are going to apply to the European Court of Human Rights.
The Court of Cassation of Armenia received two appeals—by attonerys Artur Sakunts and Aramazd Kiviryan— to the case into the murder of Avetisyan family in Gyumri. The second claim shared the same destiny.
Attorney Aramazd Kiviryan, who represents the interests of some of the victims’ successors, told Armenian News-NEWS.am that they were going to appeal to the Cassation Court and ECHR.
On December 19, 2016, the Court of Appeal had upheld the lower court decision on this case.
The legal successors of the murdered Avetisyan family are appealing the court decision. One appeal is about compensation for the damages caused. The other appeal is the re-examination of the case, and based on the theory that Valery Permyakov, a serviceman of the 102nd Russian Military Base in Gyumri and who has been found guilty of committing the murder, could not have acted alone.
The murder took place on January 12, 2015. According to the indictment, Permyakov entered the Avetisyan family home on that day, and he killed home residents Aida Avetisyan, Hasmik Avetisyan, Seryozha Avetisyan, Armen Avetisyan, Araksya Poghosyan, and little girl Hasmik Avetisyan. Subsequently, he stabbed 6-month-old Seryozha Avetisyan five times. The baby boy died in the hospital one week later.
Permyakov was apprehended by the Russian border guards near the Armenian-Turkish border—and nearby Bayandur village—on the same night, he was arrested on January 14, and held in custody at the Russian military base.
Armenia and Russia instituted criminal cases on charges of murder and military desertion, respectively.
On August 12, 2015, the Russian court sentenced Permyakov to ten years in prison. And on October 16 of the same year, Armenia formally brought criminal charges against the Russian soldier.
And on August 23, 2016, the Shirak District Court of First Instance found Valery Permyakov guilty of all charges—murder, robbery, and attempt to cross the Armenian state border—that were brought against him, and he was sentenced to life in prison.
