A Russian soldier who killed an Armenian family after absconding from his military base in Gyumri in January 2015 has been sentenced to life imprisonment by an Armenian court. Valery Permyakov was sentenced on Tuesday by an Armenian judge Harutyun Movsisyan.
The prosecuting attorney had earlier demanded a life term for the accused, while Permyakov himself had pleaded guilty, saying "he was sorry."
Six members of the Avetisyan family, including a 2-year-old girl, were found dead on January 12, 2015, in their home in Gyumri. All the victims were shot or stabbed; a 6-month-old boy, stabbed in the attack, died of injuries a week later.
Permyakov, who was 18 at the time of the killings, had been detained near Armenia's border with Turkey after fleeing the Russian base. Tuesday's verdict does not say where Permyakov is to serve his life term.
Permyakov's lawyer Eduard Aghajanyan, told tert.am, "This question remains open to us as well. After the court verdict take effect, the relevant department of Armenia's Ministry of Justice will deal with the matter."
The case caused outrage in Armenia, and for a moment strained relations between Russia and its ally in the South Caucasus.
source; commonsapce.eu with tert.am and agencies
photo: The court session where judge Movsisyan sentenced a Russian soldier on Tuesday for life imprisonment for killing an Armenian family in Gyumri. (Photolure/tert,am)
