The high-profile trial by an Armenian court of a Russian serviceman charged with murdering a seven-member Armenian family in Gyumri opened today in the territory of a Russian military base in Armenia’s northwestern city. It began in a scandal as lawyers representing the relatives of the victims were not initially allowed into the territory of the Russian military base. Only half an hour after the start of the trial they were let in. Additional chairs and tables had to be brought into the chamber for the legal representatives of the victims’ legal successors.
As the trial kicked off, representatives of the victims’ legal successors complained about the level of audibility in the chamber. They said that they wanted to hear clearly not only the Armenian translation of Permyakov’s words, but also the words actually said by Permyakov in Russian. Permyakov was asked by the court to speak loudly.
The parties to the trial have been discussing whether there were grounds for challenging the judge presiding over the trial.
The lawyers agreed to refrain from challenging the judge yet.
Legal successors (relatives) of the Avetisyan family and their representatives introduced themselves to the court. Russian citizen Valery Permyakov, a conscript who served at the Russian military base in Gyumri, is charged with murdering all seven members of the family on January 12. Among the killed were also a two-year-old girl and a six-month-old boy.
Artur Sakunts, a leading Armenian human rights activist who represents the legal successor of the victims at the trial, made a petition for all people in [Russian] military uniform to be removed from the chamber. The judge said that the Russian military were also ensuring the security of the person being tried [Valery Permyakov]. The judge announced a break in the proceedings.
Before the trial it was announced that there would be limited seating in the chamber. It was said that media and members of the public could also follow the trial on monitors from tents put up outside the garrison military court at the Russian military base in Gyumri.
Representatives of the legal successors of the victims had asked for information on Permyakov’s possible being a member of a Satanist sect in Russia to be provided to the Armenian side. They also consider making a petition for the trial to be transferred to the court of the general jurisdiction of Armenia’s Shirak province.
But members of the public appear to have "boycotted" the offer of following the trial from tents, considering that it is wrong to conduct the trial in the territory of the Russian base.
Representatives of the legal successors of the victims had asked for information on Permyakov’s possible being a member of a Satanist sect in Russia to be provided to the Armenian side. They also consider making a petition for the trial to be transferred to the court of the general jurisdiction of Armenia’s Shirak province.