Valery Permyakov sent letter to Criminal Court of Appeal (video)
Valery Permyakov, a Russian soldier sentenced to life in prison for killing a seven-member family in Armenia, has sent a letter to the Criminal Court of Appeal, asking the Court not to accept his lawyer’s complaint. The lawyer has lodged an appeal to a higher court to challenge Permyakov’s ‘alleged attempt’ to illegally cross Armenia’s border with Turkey. In his letter, Permyakov said that a court in Armenia’s Shirak marz had handed down a fair judgement. In the letter, he accepted his guilt, adding that he had had no accomplice. At today’s court hearing, Artur Sakunts, the legal representative of victims' legal successors, said the prosecutor’s position does not meet the requirement of the law. The judge has retired to the consulting room to make a decision on the petition filed by Artur Sakunts. In January 2015, immediately after killing the seven-member Avetisyan family in Armenia's Gyumir city, Permyakov fled the Russian military garrison without proper leave papers. He was detained near the Armenian-Turkish border before he could leave Armenian territory. In August 2015, a Russian military court found Permyakov guilty of desertion, theft of weapons, and illegally carrying weapons. The Russian judges sentenced him to 10 years in a maximum. He was then transferred by Russian authorities to the custody of Armenia to face murder charges in a separate trial under Armenian law. A court in Armenia's Gyumri city issued the verdict and sentence against Valery Permyakov on August 23, 2016.
