Armenian Lawmaker’s Son-In-Law Sentenced to 6,5 Years Behind Bars; Sentence Commuted by Judge

A Yerevan court sentenced Gor Arakelyan (pictured), the son-in-law of Prosperous Armenia MP Karo Karapetyan, to 6,5 years' imprisonment for opening fire near the Yerevan outdoor market known as Vernissage in May, 2014 and causing injuries to five people. The prosecution had demanded a 9-year imprisonment for the accused, however, presiding judge Gagik Poghosyan decided to commute the sentence to a lesser one. 

Recall, Arakelyan, 29, got into a dispute with Valerik Hovhannisyan and Nerses Melkonyan when the latter blocked his way as he was trying to exit an underground parking lot near the outdoor market with his Toyota Landcruiser; the two men blocked the road with their BMW X6 for nearly half an hour, obstructing traffic.

The two other defendants, Hovhannisyan and Nersisyan, were sentenced to 3 and 2 years behind bars, respectively. Here, on the other hand, the judge toughened the prosecutor's demanded punishment.

Angered by the verdict, accused Hovhannisyan's father, Samvel Hovhannisyan, said to reporters: “They should have just acquitted and rewarded [Gor Arakelyan]. The judge acted like a milksop because he's been given bags of money.”