GANG WARS: ANALYSTS IN ARMENIA SEE LINK BETWEEN CRIMINAL UNDERWORLD FIGHTING AND POLITICS
SOCIETY | 10.03.15 | 15:53
GOHAR ABRAHAMYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
A series of recent high-profile gang fights and murders in Armenia
are widely believed to have a connection, direct or indirect, with
the latest internal political developments in which a tycoon leading
a major opposition-leaning party has been made to quit politics.
The local media are rife with information and speculation about
shootouts and killings involving top crime figures.
On March 4, three men with alleged ties to the criminal underworld
were shot dead by unknown gunmen in broad daylight near a prison in
the Yerevan suburb of Nubarashen. The killed were identified as Mesrop
Melikyan, Levon Ghazaryan (a.k.a. Yerordmastsi Lyovik) and Drastamat
Tadevosyan (a.k.a. Dero). The media immediately speculated that the
killings were part of a gang war under way in Armenia.
Another shootout took place in Gyumri on March 7, during which six were
hospitalized with gunshot and stab wounds. The late-night gun battle
in the center of Armenia’s second largest city of Gyumri followed
reports about another high-profile killing of a local crime lord.
Police in the Shirak province said five people were arrested on
charges related to the March 7 shootout.
It is interesting that such activity in the criminal underworld is
taking place against the backdrop of internal political developments
in which Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukyan effectively
walked away from a decisive showdown with President Serzh Sargsyan
after coming under huge government pressure last month.
Tsarukyan, an affluent businessman, stepped down as party leader
and announced that he will no longer engage in political activities
earlier this month.
Many analysts suggest that the events taking place in the criminal
world may be a reflection of the political reality considering that
there are quite a few individuals with alleged criminal ties on both
sides of the political fence in Armenia.
Stepan Safaryan, the founding director of the Armenian Institute of
International and Security Affairs, also sees a direct connection here.
“In Armenia and in other post-Soviet countries the government possesses
three resources – money, criminal and administrative resources, and
if a shift of balance takes place among our government groupings,
that also directly affects the picture of government resources and
vice versa. Now a large grouping inside the government is being pushed
out and a vacuum has been created, and since inside the government
there was a system of restrictions, now the opponents continue the
war. There are old offences and taking advantage of the opportune
moment they solve those problems,” Safaryan said, adding that even
though little is known about the incident that took place near
the Nubarashen prison, that crime as well is somehow linked to the
government. “It turns out that some prominent members of the ruling
Republican Party of Armenia attended the funerals of the killed men,
this means there are some links,” Safaryan claimed. (ArmeniaNow could
not confirm this information independently).
High-profile shootings and murders involving top crime figures are not
frequent in Armenia, but when they do happen they usually create a lot
of speculation. It is interesting that international media reported
about a meeting of top crime figures of the former Soviet Union known
as “thieves in law” that allegedly took place in the Armenian resort
town of Tsakhkadzor in early January. Reports claimed it proved the
largest meeting attended by post-Soviet crime lords in years.