Armenia still looking for motives behind recent bloodbath in Gyumri

/By AzerNews/

By Mushvig Mehdiyev

Although three days have passed since the tragedy in Gyumri, motives behind the unfortunate murder are still unknown to public, reported local Armenian media on January 15.

Zoghovurd, a local newspaper, wrote that the bloodbath in Gyumri was the direct outcome of the inactivity of the Armenian law enforcement bodies, which are still in a New Year hangover.

The paper claims that Valery Permyakov, a Russian soldier at the 102nd military base who massacred a whole family in Gyumri, quarreled with other servicemen at 01:00 am and fled from the base's territory. Approximately two hours after his desertion, Permyakov committed the bloody crime to kill six members of the Avetisyan family in Gyumri.

The Russian border guards have informed the Armenian police about the conscript's getaway at 06:00-07:00 am, according to the newspaper.

The paper believes that if the Armenian police, National Security Service and other law enforcement bodies had shown vigilance on time, it would be possible to collect operative information about Permyakov's desertion and warn the residents of a runaway of an armed soldier.

According to Zoghovurd, the above facts are not the only setbacks related to the tragedy in Gyumri, as the Armenian law enforcement bodies failed to close the entry and exit of the Russian military base in an effort to ease the search for Permyakov.

Moreover, the paper said the Russian border guards accompanied the Armenian law enforcement employees during an operative search for the Russian soldier. This has sparked some suspicions about the investigation into the event.

Although the Investigation Committee of Armenia is said to be responsible for the investigation into the crime, Sona Truzyan, Advisor to the Chairman of the Investigation Committee, said the state body had no right to carry out an operative work related to the incident, reported Zoghovurd.

One more dark side of the crime, according to the newspaper, is that Permyakov has been detained by the Russian border guards at Bayandur village near the Armenian-Turkish border, where the Armenian police rummaged through for several times.

The paper went on saying that the Russian conscript has been taken to the village and brought safe and sound back to base following the crime. But the motives behind the massacre of a whole Armenian family are still unclear and nobody can say who and how could benefit from the killing of six people.

Meanwhile, Alexander Iskandaryan, Director of the Yerevan-based Caucasus Institute, political analyst, said research into the killer soldier's biography revealed that he had problems even before the incident in Gyumri.

Sergei Krivenko, a Russian human rights defender, said the cases of using alcohol and drugs have been registered in the Russian army units, which causes serious incidents such as the one in Gyumri.

Alexander Peredryuk, another Russian human rights defender, claimed that the cases of suicide have increased among the Russian soldiers mainly due to their quarrels with the other servicemen and commanders.

Permyakov has been arrested under the Russian Criminal Code on January 14 being accused of murder and desertion.

On January 12, Permyakov, 19, shot dead six members of the Avetisyan family and deadly wounded a six-month-old baby boy in Gyumri.

Meantime, at least 14 people, including police officers, were injured in Gyumri during yesterday's rally of residents to demand for Permyakov's handover to the Armenian law enforcement bodies. Clashes between the people and police have reached a climax, which urged police to use special tools against the indignant protesters.