Armenian judge postpones Russian soldier Permyakov trial for one month due to defense lawyer substitution
YEREVAN. Dec 18 (Interfax) - The trial of Russian soldier Valery Permyakov, who is charged with killing a family of seven in the Armenian city of Gyumri has been delayed for 30 days.
Judge Arutyun Movsesian of the Shirak regional general jurisdiction court issued the ruling at the request of new Permyakov's lawyer Edward Agajanyan, an Interfax correspondent said.
The lawyer revealed that he was invited to participate in the trial "quite recently" following the termination of the contract under which the previous lawyer for Permyakov worked. It will take him some time to get familiarized with the case, he said.
Also, the court rejected the motion of one of the lawyers for the victims, the head of the Helsinki Citizen's Assembly Vanadzor Office Artur Sakunts, requesting the judge to demand legal grounds for Russian servicemen wearing a military uniform to be presented in court and remove the military from the place of trial if there are no such grounds.
The judge substantiated his decision with the fact that Permyakov has already been convicted by the Russian court and "is serving his term in a penitentiary here".
However, Sakunts said that the court "is violating the Armenian law" and "it is problematic continuing the trial" under these circumstances.
The whole Avetisyan family, including two children, was murdered in Gyumri on January 12, 2015.
Permyakov has been charged with the killing of two or more people with extreme atrocity, involving extortion and armed robbery, armed robbery through home invasion, and illegal border crossing.
Permyakov pled guilty.
The Russian military garrison court in Gyumri found Permyakov guilty of desertion, the stealing of a weapon, and illegal possession, on August 12, and sentenced him to 10 years in a maximum security penitentiary. This criminal case was separated from the one related to the killing in Gyumri.