The Gyumri massacre was a mass murder of seven members of the Armenian Avetisyan family in Gyumri, Armenia, on January 12, 2015. The suspect, Valery Permyakov, a Russian serviceman from the Russian 102nd Military Base, was apprehended by the Armenia-based Russian Border Guards near the border with Turkey and brought into custody at the Gyumri base for further investigation under the Russian jurisdiction. Spontaneous demonstrations in Gyumri and Yerevan ensued, demanding that Permyakov be tried and serve his sentence in Armenia. Perceived inadequate government response further triggered public outrage in Armenia in early 2015 following the incident. In August 2016, Permyakov was sentenced to life on charges of murder by an Armenian court; the court's ruling was upheld in December 2016 by the Appeals Court in Yerevan.
Candles, flowers, and toys on the stairs of the Yerevan Opera House on January 20, 2015, after the death of six-month-old Seryozha.
Gyumri is an urban municipal community and the second-largest city in Armenia, serving as the administrative center of Shirak Province in the northwestern part of the country. By the end of the 19th century, when the city was known as Alexandropol, it became the largest city of Russian-ruled Eastern Armenia with a population above that of Yerevan. The city became renowned as a cultural hub, while also carrying significance as a major center of Russian troops during Russo-Turkish wars of the 19th century.
Image: Abovyan street Gyumri
Image: City Hall 1
Image: Holy Saviour's Church 21 06 2019
Image: Dzitoghtsyan House Museum 22 05 2019