Permyakov Sentenced to Life Imprisonment, But True Motive Behind Crime Remains Unrevealed

Valeri Permyakov, a serviceman of the Russian 102nd military base stationed in Gyumri, was sentenced to life imprisonment on August 23, 2016, for his involvement in a crime; however, the true motive behind the crime has not been uncovered. This statement was issued by the Vanadzor office of the Helsinki Civil Assembly.

It is noteworthy that January 12 marked the fifth anniversary of the murder of the Avetisyan family in Gyumri. The statement also mentions, “The court hearings took place not at the General Jurisdiction Court of Shirak Province, but rather as a field trial on the territory of the Russian military base. During the pre-trial investigation, the defendant Permyakov remained within the military base and was not handed over to Armenian law enforcement.”

Arthur Sakunts, the president of the Vanadzor office of the Helsinki Civil Assembly, and attorney Arayik Zalyan represent the interests of Andranik and Narine Poghosyan, the heirs of the murdered Araksya Poghosyan.

Throughout the course of the investigation as well as in the appeal against the verdict, Sakunts and Zalyan raised alarms about the shortcomings in the investigation, submitting requests regarding them; however, Judge H. Movsisyan consistently rejected the requests, deeming them unfounded. The appeal against the verdict was dismissed, and the cassation appeal was not accepted for consideration.

Attorney A. Zalyan has filed a complaint against the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation with the European Court of Human Rights. The complaint cites violations of Article 2 (right to life) and Article 13 (right to an effective remedy) of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The complaint notes that both states failed to fulfill their positive obligations and did not prevent threats to the life rights of the Avetisyan family, asserting that the investigation was not objective and the crime was not fully uncovered.

Notably, regarding the investigation into the failure to properly inform the Armenian side about Permyakov leaving the military unit, attorney A. Zalyan had requested information from the Armenian Investigative Committee back on June 23, 2017. Despite the clarity of the inquiries, the Investigative Committee provided vague responses and did not clarify who was held accountable for which actions.

The response also revealed that the Russian side, which did not have the jurisdiction to conduct the investigation, failed to provide the materials regarding the failure to promptly inform the Armenian side about Permyakov leaving the military unit to the Armenian Investigative Committee.

The Vanadzor office of the Helsinki Civil Assembly is also representing the rights of J. Ghukasian, who died after being beaten by Russian military serviceman A. Razgildeyev in December 2018. Razgildeyev has also not been handed over to Armenian law enforcement and is not held in an Armenian detention facility. Although the trial has now been scheduled at the General Jurisdiction Court of Shirak Province, it seems that ensuring his presence at the hearings has not been possible; the third court session has already been postponed for unclear reasons.

The Helsinki Civil Assembly has also addressed the impact of the Russian military presence in Armenia on the state of human rights in its report titled “The Russian Military Presence in Armenia and Its Impact on the Human Rights Situation,” which is part of the report by the Helsinki Civil Assembly and international partners on the Russian military presence in Armenia, Moldova, and Ukraine and its impact on the state of human rights.