Alexander 'Godfather' Givoyed is killed, reports Arminfo.

I know Givoyev, an Assyrian-Armenian, as a vibrant, poorly-spoken "political activist," who claimed to be Armenia's largest 'Godfather:' he baptised hundreds of Armenian soldiers (those who were not baptised in the Armenian church). I am not sure if he knew the meaning of baptism, but I still considered him charismatic (despite being blatantly uneducated).

What I am really puzzled is the way Arminfo reports the murder. It calls Givoyev "WELL-KNOWN UNDERWORLD LEADER BY NICKNAME "'HAY-HOOY' " and says the Assyrian had ties with the Russian mafia. Givoyev seemed to consider himself a cool guy (he frequently mentioned ASALA – the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia – in his interviews, although there is no connection between them whatsoever). He called one of my senior friends in Armenia his "friend." When I asked the guy whether Givoyev was indeed his friend, he said, "Givoyev is not my friend; I have no respect for him."

Anyhow, I kind of felt sorry for Givoyev being killed. He was very provokative and entertaining. I don't really know much about his mafia past, but if he deserves the death, let it be so.

UPDATE: A better media coverage at http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeniarepor…6C429839C36.ASP.