One Demand Heard in Gyumri: Accused Killer Must Be Handed Over to Armenian Law Enforcement

Hundreds of Gyumri residents assembled today near the Gyumri 8th Military Base and then set off in a motorcade towards the Russian Consulate.

They had one demand - that the Russian soldier now formally accused of the murder of six members of the Avetisyan family be handed over by the Russians to Armenian law enforcement officials.

Car horns blasted in an attempt to gain the attention of staffers inside. The protesters wanted an audience with Russian Consular General Yevgeny Konishev.

According to the gatekeeper, no one was inside. It appears that they were warned in advance.

Protestors then threw eggs at the building and a few affixed a sign reading “Cat House in Armenia” to a nearby bulletin board.

They then headed to the Shirak Provincial Authority where they were met by a phalanx of police and other security personnel.

Gyumri resident Arsen Vardanyan wanted to affix another poster on the building’s window but was stopped by police.

Shirak Police Chief Vardan Nadaryan tried to convince Vardanyan not to deface government property. The protestor shot back that he had a right to freely express himself in his own country and that he wasn’t breaking any laws.

The protestors then demanded an audience with Shirak Provincial Governor Feliks Tsolakyan. The official exited the building but no dialog took place.

The noisy motorcade then headed to the Shirak Prosecutor’s Office. Prosecutor General Raffi Aslanyan wasn’t in to hear their demand that Valery Permyakov, the Russian soldier accused on the killings, be handed over to Armenian prosecutors.

This reporter heard no anti-Russian slogans during the entire march.

The protestors then decided to head to the 102nd Russian military base where Permyakov had been stationed. They demanded to see the commandant in charge. Police Chief Nadaryan tried to talk them out of going to the base. When he realized that the protestors were intent on going, Nadaryan closed off the road leading to the base.

This didn’t stop the marchers who pushed through the police cordon by sheer numbers and arrived outside the base on foot. Prosecutor Aslanyan soon arrived on the scene.

The protestors demanded that Aslanyan serve as their emissary, enter the base, and return with the commandant. Aslanyan countered with a suggestion that he confer with a 15-20 member delegation of the crowd.

The confab took place and Aslanyan announced that the consultations would continue tomorrow.

The protestors gave law enforcement until 5pm tomorrow to see that their demand is carried out.

They plan to gather tomorrow outside the prosecutor’s office at the deadline hour.