Associated Press Worldstream
August 4, 2004 Wednesday 5:05 PM Eastern Time

Armenian ex-lawmaker, alleged crime figure killed

YEREVAN, Armenia

A businessman and former lawmaker who police claim was an
authoritative criminal figure was shot to death along with his son
and another man, authorities in the former Soviet republic of Armenia
said Wednesday.

Eduard Martirosian died late Tuesday after unidentified gunmen fired
on the SUV he was riding in the northern city of Vanadzor, said the
country’s police chief, Gen. Maj. Ararat Magdesian. He said
Martirosian’s son and another man were also killed, while one other
man who was in the vehicle was seriously injured.

Martirosian was a deputy in Armenia’s parliament in 1996-1999. He was
elected in a special vote after the shooting death of the previous
occupant of the parliament seat, the head of Vanadzor’s main bread
factory.

After his stint as a lawmaker, Martirosian was a businessman who
owned shares in a number of enterprises including factories and
restaurants. Magdesian said that Matrtirosian, who was knwn as
Chacho, had “a certain authoritiy in the criminal world” and had been
investigated both as a potential suspect and a potential target of
criminal activity.