Advocates criticize recruitment of soldiers for service at Gyumri base

In the course of the court session on the case of Valery Permyakov, poor quality of selecting soldiers for transfer to take their service at the military base in Armenia was revealed, the advocates of the successors of the Avetisyan family told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, stating the need to bring to justice the Russian officers who were in charge of sending the defendant to Gyumri.

Valery Permyakov, a serviceman of the 102nd Russian Military Base in Gyumri, is accused of killing seven Avetisyan family members in the city of Gyumri at night on January 12, 2015. He has admitted his guilt. Permyakov was sentenced by the Russian court to 10 years in prison on charges of desertion, theft and illegal possession of firearms.

Lusine Sahakyan, one of these advocates, pointed to contradictions in the testimony of Andrei Nikishin, the former direct commander of Permyakov, the testimony of the defendant.

In his testimonies given during the preliminary investigation, which were announced at the trial, Permyakov stated that on arrival to Armenia he had not undergone any medical examination, contrary to what his former commander asserted, Ms Sahakyan told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Besides, in the city of Chita, no selection of best soldiers for transfer to service in Armenia was made, as Russian militaries has assured the court earlier, said the advocate.

According to her story, in fact, Nikishin did not even check the documents of the soldiers, whom he intended to bring to Armenia.

Along with Permyakov, all his documents arrived at the military base, including his medical history, which confirms that back in Russia he had had health problems, said the advocate.

"Nevertheless, Permyakov was transferred to Armenia, knowing that he can't bear firearms, having facts of repeated escapes during his previous service," Ms Sahakyan said, adding that the advocates of the successors of the Avetisyan family intend to file a civil suit against Russia, claiming compensation for moral harm.

"They can't solve the problem by resignations or transfers to other units. The Russian militaries in charge should be brought to justice. They should understand that they are responsible for the selection and transfer of soldiers to Armenia," said the advocate.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.