Valery Permyakov: I am not an insane
The trial in the case of a Russian soldier charged with the murders of an Armenian family continued in Gyumri on April 29. Today the court published the preliminary statements of the defendant at the bar - Valery Permyakov, a 20-year-old former conscript of Russian military base stationed in Gyumri. Permyakov has already pleaded guilty to all charges, including murders, robbery and an attempt to illegally cross the Armenian-Turkish frontier. The defendant's lawyer, Eduard Aghajanyan, asked him whether he had been pressured to confess or give testimony, Permyakov said he hadn’t. The defendant accepted all charges against him and gave short replies to all questions – “I do not know,” “I do not remember,” “Yes” or “No.” In reply to the prosecutor’s question if he heard that somebody had killed seven people, what he would think of that person, Permyakov said, “I would say that he is an insane, but I am not.” Valery Permyakov is charged with the murder of the seven-member Avetisyan family. In the morning of January 12, 2015, Permyakov entered the house of the Avetisyans and shot dead six members of the family, including a two-year-old girl. He also stabbed with the bayonet of his automatic rifle a six-month-old boy who succumbed to injuries in hospital a week later. Details can be found here
