Armenian News

The Times (London) January 17, 2015 Saturday Armenia fury after Russian's 'murder spree' by Ben Hoyle Violent protests have erupted in Armenia after a Russian conscript stationed there allegedly went on a rampage and killed six members of a local family. The young Siberian soldier reportedly wandered off a military base in Gyumri, Armenia's second city, armed with a Kalashnikov rifle on Monday. Two grandparents, their son and daughter, a daughter-in-law and a twoyear-old girl were murdered in their beds. The only survivor was a sixmonth-old boy, who remains in a critical condition from bayonet wounds. The accused soldier, Valery Permyakov, 18, had reportedly tried to desert. Hours after the killings he was arrested by Russian border guards while attempting to cross into Turkey and confessed to the crime, police said. He claimed that he had ended up in the family's home accidentally, looking for something to drink and denies the crime. The Russian tabloid Moskovsky Komsomolets reported that he had suffered from a mental illness. Horror at the killings turned to anger when Russia failed to hand the soldier over to the Armenian authorities. Fourteen people, including five policemen, were injured in clashes on Thursday night after thousands massed outside the Russian consulate in Gyumri. Armenia, a Russian ally, is part of the customs union of former Soviet states. GYUMRI: SHOCK OF A TRIPLE CRIME Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia Jan 16 2015 Susanna Petrosyan, Yerevan. Exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza The murders of the Avetisyan family in Gyumri have shocked Armenian society. A soldier of the Russian 102nd base, Valery Permyakov, is a suspect. The reasons for the murders are unknown. Six people were shot, including a two-year-old child (only a six-month baby remained alive). The Investigative Committee of Armenia decided to name Permyakov as defendant, according to item 1 of part 2 of article 104 of the Criminal Code of Armenia - murders of two or more people. The crime caused a broad range of emotions in Armenia: from sympathy and a feeling of great tragedy to indignation and expectation of a fair punishment. Anti-Russian attitudes appeared as well. The most demonstrative example of this was an automobile cortege in Gyumri on January 14th and a subsequent protest act near the Russian base, participants of which demanded that Permyakov should be given to Armenian law-enforcement agencies and the trial should take place in Armenia. Emotional tension is used to exaggerate anti-Russian attitude by representatives of certain non-governmental organizations which are financed by the West. "Human right activists" shout that there are no reasons for the Russian military base to stay on the territory of Armenia and that the Russian authorities should apologize to the Armenian nation. There are few chances that such anti-Russian views will turn into wide-scale long-lasting protests, as Armenians regard Russian positively and realize that criminals have no nationalities or homelands. According to an MP from Dashnaktsutyun, Armen Rustamyan, "the incident shouldn't be connected with the status of the Russian military base and shifted to the sphere of bilateral relations." At the same time, the MP pointed out disciplinary problems at the base - Permyakov, who was on sentry duty on January 12, the day of the murders, deserted his post and escaped the military unit, carrying a sub-machine gun. The head of the parliamentary faction of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, Vagram Dagdasaryan, wonders why the question of the reasonability of the presence of the Russian military base in Armenia is raised in the context of the incident. This is the second such incident. In 1999 two soldiers from the Gyumri border detachment, who had drank too much, deserted the base and went to a city market where they intended to find more alcohol. They fought with traders who didn't want to sell alcohol to very drunk soldiers. The border guards returned to the base, beat up a sentry, took his sub-machine gun, returned to the market, and fired desultory shots. As a result, two people were killed, eight people were injured. The border guards were disarmed by traders and taken to the police. In 2013 two teenagers from a local village situated near the base entered an armor training battlefield, searching for scrap metal and tripped a mine. As for the incident on January 12, the main question is where the Russian soldier who admitted his guilt will be judged - in Armenia or in Russia. According to the General Prosecution Service of Armenia, it was decided that Permyakov will remain under the control of the Russian law-enforcement agencies and won't be given to the Armenian side. Such a decision was based on article 61 of the Criminal Code of Russia and the Constitution of Armenia. However, the next day the General Prosecutor of Armenia, Gevork Kostanyan, stated that Permyakov will be judged in Armenia. He is accused of three crimes, one of which - deserting his post - was committed on the territory of the base, which was under Russian jurisdiction; two others were committed on the territory of Armenia (the murders of six people and attempting to cross the Armenian-Turkish border, where he was disarmed by Russian border guards and carried to the base). According to the Armenian-Russian agreement on jurisdiction and mutual legal support, which is connected with the presence of the Russian military base on the territory of the Republic of Armenia, the operation of laws of one or another country depends on the place where a crime has been committed. Considering the agreement and specificity of the crime, the law-enforcement agencies of Russia and Armenia will provide a joint investigation, which could last for a long time. It is notable that the trial over the two border guards took place in Armenia and was headed by an Armenian judge in 1999. The Russian soldiers were sentenced to jail on the territory of Armenia. All parliamentary political forces took moderate positions and didn't stir up anti-Russian attitudes. lragir.am MOSCOW'S DECISION ON PERMYAKOV 16 January 2015, 16:38 The Russian Expert Agency which expresses the Kremlin policy has written about the crime in Gyumri: "Obviously, nobody will save Valery Permyakov from justice. The crime is so outrageous and obvious that the soldier's guilt is not questioned. Yes, it is possible that Permyakov will be ruled insane and sent to a psychiatric hospital but this will not be an anti-Armenian plot either and humiliation all the more so. Judging by the description of the murder, the soldier is mentally healthy... The reality is that if by any chance the Kremlin decides to save him from prosecution, it will make no difference which side will be administering justice... Evidence is that the Armenian government has itself refused to administer justice," the Expert writes. Everything seems to have been said, and developments confirm a lot of things. The Russian side is not likely to hand Permyakov to the Armenian side, and the Armenian law enforcement agencies have obviously been told to justify this. This becomes obvious from the posture and patchy statements. Armenian law enforcement agencies are believed to have caught Permyakov but then he appeared in the hands of the Russians. In order to make this sound more or less substantial, it was announced that he had been caught by Russian border guards at the Armenian-Turkish border. If the Russian border guards caught him, it is logical that Permyakov should be kept in the Russian base. In fact, the Armenian law enforcement agencies have been deprived of inquest by fresh traces, and time is a crucial factor in revealing a crime. It is suggested that Permyakov was not alone but was there to destruct, but again there is nothing official and is again related to missing the operative time. The Russian press and public and political circles are cynical to the extent of mocking the tragedy and shifting from the legal to the political level, suggesting that there is an intention to provoke anti-Russian sentiment. This allows suggesting that this was a premeditated crime, and the basis of the Armenian state and the living of the Armenian people. At least, the developments that followed the tragedy and the circumstances demonstrate this. The Russian side has a chance to dispel doubts and hand Permyakov to the Armenian side through a transparent investigation. The question is if Permyakov acted alone, and there is no need to "save" him, why the Russian side refrains from this simple and comprehensible move - handing him to the Armenian side. Otherwise, questions occur. For example, will the Russians acknowledge the sovereignty of Armenia in case they hand Permyakov to the Armenian side, which is an insult to them? Besides, judging by discussions on Russian social networks and forums (and like in Armenia, in Russia they are mainly guided), is it a shame to hand their criminal? Does Permyakov know a lot and therefore they do not hand him to the Armenian side? Can anyone answer these questions? In brief, as of today, the decision is not to hand Permyakov to Armenian justice, he will be qualified as insane and sent to a psychiatric hospital. Then they will let him go soon. "The reality is that if by any chance the Kremlin decides to save him from prosecution, it will make no difference which side will be administering justice." This is the political verdict. "And We are Still Wondering Why Everyone Hates Us" Pastinfo, News Agency Politics - 17 January 2015, 13:51 The Russian oppositionist Boris Nemtsov criticized some negative developments following the cruel murder in Gyumri on his Facebook wall. "When the anti-Maidan movement of Kremlin declares Permyakov who stands accused for murder of Armenian family in Gyumri as prisoner of faith, what does it rely on? The love of the Armenian people or that the Russians will be cursed even by the citizens of Armenia who were friends so far? It is like when the Kremlin provocateurs rely on the second. And the Kremlin silently defends them. Meanwhile, the agreement on jurisdiction and mutual legal assistance relating to the Russian military base in Armenia signed in 1997 is effective between Russia and Armenia. Article 4 of the agreement states that Permyakov must be handed to the Armenian justice, so the demonstrators are absolutely fair in their claims that Russia follow its international obligations. However, Permyakov is not handed, and he is even called a prisoner of faith... And we are still wondering why everyone hates us," Boris Nemtsov states. Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia Jan 17 2015 Gyumri Lessons The recent events in Armenia have exposed the tensions between Russia and Armenia, in spite of officially proclaimed strategic level of partnership between two countries and Erevan's joining of the Eurasian Union. Demonstrations with requirement for fair treatment of the killing in Gyumri grew into the protests against Russian military presence on the territory of Armenia. Armenian leadership does participate in number of Russian projects, but the population of the country, being dissatisfied with the authorities, transfers the anger to Russia. Securing of Russian foreign policy interests requires shifting of attention to the cooperation with the civil society, and not only with the leadership. Deep and real reasons of the unrest in Armenia is an economic and a political crisis in the republic. This crisis, generated by an unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the economic blockade of Armenia, will continue to provoke discontent among the citizens of the republic. Similar opinion has been expressed in an interview to "Vestnik Kavkaza" by political analysts Mikhail Remizov and Alexander Karavaev. "Kremlin is speaking and taking into account only those, who are currently at the power", as it has doubts that working with opposition will bring the same influence as working with the authorities in power. Till today the politics of Russia towards Armenia has been based on the expectation of guaranteed information on further changes in the ruling elite. This information is gathered as the result of working with the current authorities - said Alexander Karavaev. Mikhail Remizov emphasized the necessity to change the paradigm of Russian foreign policy - it is obvious that Russia needs to diversify its political contacts and build wide spectrum of relationships with different social and political forces. Strategic task is to to build relationships with the society. The experts have expressed opinion that Russia's military withdrawal for Armenian territory is not likely to happen, since it is highly significant and needed for Armenia. It is worthy to remember here the example of American military presence in Japan after WWII, when in spite of number of crimes committed by American soldiers, the military presence are still there - noticed Remizov. Karavaev expressed the opinion that it is hardly possible to avoid such incidents in the situation of military presence of one country at the territory of another. Also, according to the expert, Russian Ministry of Defense needs to transfer its foreign military bases to contractors entirely, but also work on the discipline in the army. At the same time it is highly important to have just investigation of the committed crimes. "The reaction of the Armenian society to this murder is natural, since the society is very close, with a strong sense of ethnic solidarity, so in the case, when Armenians is being killed by a non-Armenian, is being perceived as ethnically tinged violence" - said Remizov. The experts Remizov says there are several factors that that guarantee inter-allied relationship between Armenia and Russia, including economic, geo-strategic and military considerations, the presence of a considerable Armenian diaspora in Russia and Armenia's foreign environment. At the same time Karavaev thinks Armania's rejection of union with Russia is still possible under the condition of open weakening of Russia's position in the South Caucasus and a very serious problems in Russia's economy. But as long as Russia's military presence on Armenian territory lasts for several decades by now, it is questionable if Russian influence on the bilateral relationship may vanish so easily. RFE/RL Report Russian Facilities In Gyumri Guarded By Police After Unrest Satenik Kaghzvantsian ## Anush Mkrtchian 16.01.2015 The Armenian police guarded Russia's military and diplomatic facilities in Gyumri on Friday one day after clashing with local residents protesting against a deadly shooting spree allegedly perpetrated by a Russian soldier. With no fresh demonstrations held in Armenia's second largest city, tensions there seemed to have eased for now. Still, police presence on the streets remained stronger than usual. Local security forces were beefed up by riot police units dispatched from Yerevan. In particular, police cars and officers were deployed near the Russian army base, a residential complex housing its officers and their families as well as Russia's consulate-general in Gyumri. A street section adjacent to the consulate was the scene of pitched battles fought late on Thursday by riot police and hundreds of angry protesters demanding that a Russian soldier charged with killing six members of a local Armenian family be handed over to Armenian law-enforcement authorities. According to health authorities in Gyumri, 18 police officers and 10 civilians were hospitalized during and after the violence. The vast majority of them were discharged from a local hospital by Friday afternoon. One policeman was transported to Yerevan for further medical treatment. The police detained 21 protesters, virtually all of them young men, on the spot. They all were set free the following morning.The police gave no indications that they will press criminal charges against any of them. Armenia - Samvel Hovannisian, a relative of the murdered Avetisian family, speaks to journalists in Gyumri, 16Jan2015. Meanwhile, relatives of the family slaughtered for still unclear reasons declared that they had no part in Thursday's protests, which began hours after the funeral of Seryozha Avetisian, his wife, daughter, son, daughter-in-law and 2-year-old granddaughter. They at the same time backed the protesters' calls for the indicted Russian soldier, Valery Permyakov, to be prosecuted by Armenia. Speaking at a Gyumri cemetery on behalf of the relatives, one of Avetisian's cousins, Samvel Hovannisian, said: "We are only demanding justice. We demand that that person be strictly punished in accordance with the laws of our country. We want to know the reasons for that tragedy which is being mourned not only by us but also the entire nation." "We also don't want [such a crime] to be repeated against any other family," Hovannisian told journalists. "God willing, it will be the first and last crime of its kind." The Armenian law-enforcement authorities have so far been reluctant to seek custody of Permyakov, who is being kept at the Russian base. Prosecutor-General Gevorg Kostanian has only promised, under pressure from the Gyumri protesters, to ask his Russian counterpart to ensure that the case is transferred to Armenian jurisdiction. Armenia's Investigative Committee confirmed that its officers questioned the suspect and carried out other "judicial actions" at the Russian installation on Thursday. But a spokeswoman for the law-enforcement agency, Sona Truzian, declined to clarify whether it has formally charged or issued arrest warrants for him. A Russian military court located in Yerevan remanded Permyakov in pre-trial custody on Wednesday. A statement posted on its website said a Russian "investigative body" has levelled accusations of multiple murder and desertion against the 18-year-old. The statement came as a further indication that the Russian military wants the serviceman to be tried by its tribunal. Many in Gyumri fear that this would facilitate a cover-up of the crime. They say the case should be heard by an Armenian court. Some lawyers in Yerevan believe that an ongoing criminal investigation launched by the Armenian law-enforcement authorities will be meaningless as long as Permyakov remains in Russian custody. One of them, Lusine Sahakian, described the separate Russian and Armenian inquiries as "legal nonsense." KILLINGS IN ARMENIA POINT TO FLAWS IN RUSSIAN ARMY The Moscow Times Jan 15 2015 By Simon Saradzhyan Like many others in the Armenian diaspora, I have been shaken by the news out of the Armenian city of Gyumri where six members of the Avetisyan family were killed. A conscript from a nearby Russian military base had confessed to the killings and his gun and belongings were found in the Avetisyans' house. I can only hope and pray that little Seryozha Avetisyan -- who suffered a wound in the course of this homicide and remains in grave condition -- overcomes the odds and lives on to fulfill the dream that I am sure his parents nurtured for him when he was born six months ago. At this stage, the information available in the public domain doesn't allow us to ascertain what might have caused the suspect -- who reportedly had been "on the radar" of Russian law-enforcement and his brother had been convicted of murder -- to commit such an atrocity. When apprehended, the suspect could give no coherent explanation as to what prompted him to shoot and hack seven people, ranging in age from six months to 53 years. We do not know whether the suspect -- who had reportedly tried to desert once before -- had some underlying condition before being conscripted or that appeared during the course of his service that may have caused him to commit such a heinous crime. One way or another, no sane person would have stabbed a small child with a bayonet, which is what the suspect allegedly did. Unfortunately, this is not the first case of a soldier going on a killing spree when absent without leave within or outside the former Soviet Union. While a defense journalist at The Moscow Times, I wrote more than once about uniformed killers, including one mentally unstable sailor who had locked himself up in a nuclear submarine after shooting fellow comrades-in-arms. Some of these killings would have never been committed if the Russian enlistment offices and the medical commissions assigned to these offices did a thorough job of screening all conscripts. Others would have not happened if violent hazing of conscripts had been not tolerated. Russian media have reported on how individuals with health issues or with expunged criminal records would be served call-up notices just because enlistment officers needed to fulfill conscription plans assigned by the General Staff. The Russian military and border guards should be commended for quickly tracking down the suspect before he could cross into Turkey and placing him into custody. However, it took the Defense Ministry team only a few days to conduct an investigation and announce that all those guilty have been identified. As disappointing are some of the proposals on how to deal with the bigger problem, as they see it. For instance, one ministry representative has stated the armed forces might stop sending conscripts to Russia's military bases abroad because of the incident. Should not the goal be to prevent soldiers from murdering people in general rather than just people living in countries which host Russian troops? If someone is prone to go on a killing spree, then he should not be conscripted at all. Russian laws bar Russian authorities from handing Russian citizens to foreign governments for prosecution, but they also provide for life in prison for those found guilty of committing murders of this scale and cruelty. In my opinion, justice will be served, only, if found guilty, the suspect is sentenced to life in prison without parole. Armenians' sympathies with Russia are well-known. In fact, the name of the surviving boy -- Seryozha -- attests to it. One legend -- that I have read in Armenian literature -- it that grateful Armenians would name their children after Russian soldiers who fought on behalf of the Russian empire to wrest control of parts of historic Armenia from Persia and the Ottoman empire -- that had oppressed their Armenian subjects. The soldiers would give their diminutive names when asked by Armenians, and, hence there appeared numerous Seryozhas, Vanyas and Kolyas in Armenia. It is my strong hope that this horrible tragedy will not affect the relations between Armenia and Russia, but it is my even stronger hope that the Russian response will not be limited to prosecution of the alleged murderer. Killing sprees by soldiers across the world demonstrate that even fully professional armies sometimes fail to weed out potentially dangerous individuals from their ranks. But I still think there are steps that generals can take to reduce occurrences of uniformed violence even if fully eliminating such violence might prove to be a mission impossible. These steps include rigorous screening of conscripts and monitoring of active-duty servicemen to detect dangerous disorders as well as zero tolerance for violent hazing. Simon Saradzhyan is a researcher at Harvard University's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.