Permyakov trial: Avetisyans' relatives unable to testify at today's court hearing
The trial of a Russian soldier, charged with the murder of a seven-member family in Armenia’s Gyumri city, resumed in a Russian military base stationed in Gyumri. During today’s court hearing, Lusine Avetisyan, Anahit Koshtoyan and Yegor Adamyan – all relative of the massacred Avetisyan family, were to bear testimony. Lusine Avetisyan and Anahit Koshtoyan, both daughters of the family, today said they felt bad and petitioned the court to publish their pre-trial testimony in which they said they did not believe that Valery Permyakov, the 20-year-old Russia soldier accused of the murder, acted alone. Today the court also heard Karine Avetisyan, one of the neighbours of the killed family. In her testimony, she said that on the day of the killings on January 12, 2015, she heard a loud bang early in the morning, at about 6 am. Thinking it was an earthquake, she went out to the yard but finding nothing strange and extraordinary, she returned home. Then she went to work as usual. Karine learnt about the murder from her sister who telephoned her at the office at about 11 am to tell about the tragedy. At the previous court hearing on January 22, Permyakov pleaded guilty to all charges, including murders, robbery and an attempt to illegally cross the Armenian-Turkish frontier.
