Via Martuni or Bust comes news that police have arrested Stepan Hakobyan in connection with the assassination of a senior member of the Yerkrapah Union of Karabakh War Veterans a little over a week ago. The murder also claimed the life of an innocent bystander, 37-year-old mother of three, Karine Sargsyan. I’m told that had the streets not been relatively empty because of the heat, many more would have died between the settling of scores between the relatives of the powers that be.

S. Hakobyan is charged with Article 235 of RA Criminal Code (illegal possession of weapons). In his turn, a reliable source reports that the detainee is a relative of Armenian MP representing Malatia-Sebastia community Hakob Hakobyan (nickname “Lady Hakob”). To note, bloody quarrels with participation of Hakobyan and Zatikyan clans are not a news.

Sedrak Zatikyan, born in 1980, was murdered on June 22 in daytime on Sebastia- Tichinin crossroad. The unknown fired at Zatikyan’s car “Jeep.” Wounded, S. Zatikyan lost control and crashed into a lorry. A resident of the nearby houses karine sarksyan - born in1969 fell victim to the incident. 24 shells of the same gun were found on the spot.

[…]

According to Sedrak’s friends, two shots were taken at his head, 3 shots were taken at his chest. There was the following version yesterday; “He wanted to find out the reasons of his father’s death, that’s why he was killed”. There were also gossips that there had been a quarrel two days before with General Manvel Grigorian’s participation and yesterday shots were the continuation of that quarrel.

Once again, time to point you all in the direction of Vahan Ishkhanyan’s excellent article on how State officials and government-connected businessmen have carved up Yerevan between them. Unfortunately, such incidents of violent business disputes are not uncommon, and might even have become more frequent since the 2003 parliamentary elections.

Yes, I know, mafia style killings are commonplace elsewhere, but in this neck of the woods invariably involve clans formed around those closest to the government.