Russia must be interested in a transparent and fair investigation into the Gyumri tragedy as this outrageous crime was committed by a Russian soldier, Director of the Armenian Institute for International and Security Affairs Stepan Safaryan told ArmInfo on Wednesday.
"The Russians must do all they can to convince the Armenians that the investigation will be fair. And, first of all, they must give the criminal to the Armenian police," Safaryan said.
He said that there already are certain doubts that the investigation may be unfair. "The investigation is being held by Arkady Bakhin, Russia's Deputy Defense Minister, while, according to the law, it should be held by law enforcers. It seems they are just trying to clear the skirts of the Russian military base, whose command is also responsible for what has happened," Safaryan said.
He does not think that there are anti-Russian moods in Armenian society. "There is just a demand that the 102nd Russian military base be withdrawn from the country, and there are objective grounds for it. I don't think that this demand comes from pro-Western forces. It is natural that our society is displeased. It is not fair when an Armenian soldier is killed when defending his land, while a Russian soldiers kills a whole family in the same land," Safaryan said.
As was reported earlier, a family of 6 persons was viciously murdered in Gyumri. On Jan 12 in Gyumri, soldier of the 102nd Russian military base in Gyumri, V.Permyakov, left his post. He penetrated into the house of Avetisyans and shot all the 6 members of the family dead. Only their 6-month-old baby has survived. The soldier left his uniform and gun on the spot. He escaped wearing casual clothing. After a daylong search, he was detained on the border with Turkey by the frontier guards. Permyakov has already admitted to the murder.