Rovshan Janiyev (Lankaransky) (, ; 27 January 1975 – 18 August 2016), also known as Rovshan Lankaransky (, ), was an
Azerbaijani gangster of
Talysh
Talysh may refer to:
*Talysh people, an ethnic group of Iran and Azerbaijan
**Talysh language, the West Iranian language of these people
** Talysh, a historical region on the southwestern coast of the Caspian Sea, inhabited by the Talysh people
*T ...
descent.
Early life
He was an ethnic
Talysh
Talysh may refer to:
*Talysh people, an ethnic group of Iran and Azerbaijan
**Talysh language, the West Iranian language of these people
** Talysh, a historical region on the southwestern coast of the Caspian Sea, inhabited by the Talysh people
*T ...
. When Janiyev was 17 years old, his father, a policeman, was murdered by local gangsters whom he was investigating. In 1996 during the court hearing, upon hearing the accused threatening his family, Janiyev pulled out a gun and killed him in court. He was sentenced to two years in prison.
Janiyev was "crowned" in 2002 on the initiative of
thief in law
Theft (, cognate to ) is the act of taking another person's property or Service (economics), services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synon ...
Mirseymur Abdullaev, also a Talysh man. An informant for
Novaya Gazeta
''Novaya Gazeta'' (, ) is an independent Russian newspaper. It is known for its critical and investigative coverage of Russian political and social affairs, the Chechen wars, corruption among the ruling elite, and increasing authoritarianism i ...
told that “all his
aniyev'speople” were Talyshis.
Criminal acts
Later in 2000, he shot a prominent Baku crime boss in broad daylight and was subsequently beaten so severely that he developed a mental illness. Taking this into account, the court released him after just a few months imprisonment. Fearing for his life, Janiyev fled from
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
to
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
where he grew more and more powerful within the underworld and eventually controlled all the ethnic
Azerbaijani gangs in Moscow, running protection rackets and drug trafficking.
Eventually competition over territory grew with the Caucasian gangs led by
Aslan Usoyan
Aslan Rashidovich Usoyan ( ka, ასლან რაშიდოვიჩ უსოიანი, ; 27 February 1937 – 16 January 2013), also known as Baba Gurgur and Grandpa Hassan () or just Grandpa (), was a Georgian-born Soviet-Russian crim ...
. In 2010 an attempt was made on Usoyan's life and it has been theorized that Janiyev, who had been arrested trying to enter Ukraine shortly afterwards (where he already controlled some criminal business and had been previously granted refugee status), had a major part in its planning and execution.
In January 2013, after Usoyan's assassination, Janiyev, along with
Tariel Oniani
Tariel Oniani ( ka, ტარიელ ონიანი; born 1952) is a Georgian mafia boss and 'thief in law'. He is reportedly a member of the "Kutaisi" criminal gang.
Background and activity in Spain
Born in the mining town of Tkibuli in ...
, was regarded as a primary suspect. Shortly afterwards Astamur Guliya, an Abkhaz gangster and ally of Janiyev, was gunned down in
Sukhumi
Sukhumi or Sokhumi is a city in a wide bay on the Black Sea's eastern coast. It is both the Capital city, capital and largest city of Abkhazia, a partially recognised state that most countries consider a part of Georgia (country), Georgia. The ...
. Janiyev himself was reported killed in
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
on 6 February, but this claim was denied by his brother Emil, who claimed he was alive and well in the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...
.
In 2013, Italian law enforcement authorities reported Janiyev's presence in the country to
Interpol
The International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL (abbreviated as ICPO–INTERPOL), commonly known as Interpol ( , ; stylized in allcaps), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime cont ...
.
[ In a law enforcement report, Janiyev was accused of being engaged in organized crime, bribery, money laundering and forgery of documents.]
Death
On 17 August 2016 Janiyev was assassinated in Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
, Turkey, after returning from a trip to Dubai
Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
. Janiyev was shot in his luxury Range Rover
The Land Rover Range Rover, generally shortened to Range Rover, is a Sport utility vehicle, 4x4 Luxury car, luxury SUV produced by Land Rover, a marque and sub-brand of Jaguar Land Rover, owned by Tata Motors. The Range Rover line was launched ...
car, which bore an Azerbaijani license plate, in the Beşiktaş
Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 18 km2 and its population is 175,190 (2022). It is located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and ...
district. Janiyev's local driver was killed on the spot. Janiyev himself was transported to Şişli
Şişli () is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 10 km2, and its population is 276,528 (2022). Located on the European side of the city, it is bordered by Beşiktaş ...
Etfal hospital and died of his wounds there. Janiyev's corpse was flown to Azerbaijan via a private plane belonging to Azerbaijani billionaire Mübariz Mansimov
Mubariz Mansimov (, legally Mubariz Gurbanoghlu; born March 22, 1968) is an Azerbaijani businessperson who is the founder of Palmali Group of Companies, a shipping company, as well of the Azerbaijani football club Khazar Lankaran.[pratfall effect
In social psychology, the pratfall effect is the tendency for interpersonal appeal to change after an individual makes a mistake, depending on the individual's perceived competence. In particular, highly competent individuals tend to become more li ...]
which would allow people to excuse Janiyev's criminal past because he had avenged his father "in due manner" as a teenager. Another reason, according to Kamil, is the tendency to subconsciously admire someone who does what others would like to do but do not dare to.[Ilgar Kamil]
Xalq ''oğru''nu, ''vor''u, ''bandit''i deyil, məhz Canıyevi sevir...- Oxucu yazır
20 August 2016.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Janiyev, Rovshan
1975 births
2016 deaths
Azerbaijani gangsters
Murdered gangsters
Thieves in law
People from Lankaran
Azerbaijani people of Talysh descent