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"He is surrounded by jackals, dishonest, cruel characters and he fights for justice and to protect ordinary people."
Given the description, one might think Hovo was a police officer, a crusading lawyer or even an Armenian version of superspy Jack Bauer on American television series "24".
But Hovo is in fact the head of an organised crime family and "The Trap" one of a slew of Sopranos-style television series that have taken Armenia by storm.
But as the popularity of these mafia dramas has grown, so have Armenia's crime rates, and police are raising concerns that the glorification of crime bosses is to blame.
Last year "The Trap" was the highest-rated programme on Armenian television, according to AGB Nielsen Media Research's Yerevan office, with more than 27 percent of Armenian viewers tuning in every day to watch Hovo struggle with corrupt police and rival gangs as he ran his criminal empire.
Similar programmes featuring hero gangsters, including "The Orphans", "The Price of Life", and "Happy Unhappiness", were all in the top five most-watched. Many of the programmes, including "The Trap", have now ended, but thanks to their popularity many new mafia dramas are now in production.
Overall crime rates in Armenia, meanwhile, jumped 54.7 percent last year and police say local television's love affair with the criminal world is partly responsible.
"These programmes are propaganda for criminality," Armenian police spokesman Sayat Shirinian said. "Glorifying criminals, humiliating the police and showing that violence is the answer of course will have an effect on people's morals and lead to an increase in criminality."
Critics are especially worried about the impact of the programmes on children.
"These series are teaching new behaviour -- that murder, terror or blackmail are the fastest and most effective way to solve problems," child psychologist Khachatur Gasparian said. "Children identify with the heroes of these programmes and become more aggressive and uncontrollable."
Some have even raised concerns that the programmes are damaging Armenia's international image by portraying the country as a hotbed of crime.
Critics fear the series could scare off investment from Armenia's widespread diaspora community, which the impoverished country relies on for significant economic and political support.
"These series create the impression that the country has no honest policemen or fair officials, that all questions are solved by violence," said Hovik Musayelian, a member of Armenia's Public Council, an advisory body to the government.
"Many Armenians from the diaspora are afraid to invest because they think the country is in the hands of criminals and the mafia," he said.
In the face of growing criticism, Armenia's National Commission on Television and Radio took steps this year to rein in the mafia programmes, imposing new restrictions on showing violence and on positive portrayals of criminals. But critics say the rules can be broadly interpreted and may not have much effect.
Harutyun Gukasian, a scriptwriter for "The Trap", said he cannot understand what all the fuss is about and dismissed claims that mafia dramas may be behind rising crime rates as absurd.
"Don't make me laugh... Nobody becomes a mafioso from watching television," he said. "We are following the same path the whole world has. Crime dramas are popular everywhere."
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Given the description, one might think Hovo was a police officer, a crusading lawyer or even an Armenian version of superspy Jack Bauer on American television series "24".
But Hovo is in fact the head of an organised crime family and "The Trap" one of a slew of Sopranos-style television series that have taken Armenia by storm.
But as the popularity of these mafia dramas has grown, so have Armenia's crime rates, and police are raising concerns that the glorification of crime bosses is to blame.
Last year "The Trap" was the highest-rated programme on Armenian television, according to AGB Nielsen Media Research's Yerevan office, with more than 27 percent of Armenian viewers tuning in every day to watch Hovo struggle with corrupt police and rival gangs as he ran his criminal empire.
Similar programmes featuring hero gangsters, including "The Orphans", "The Price of Life", and "Happy Unhappiness", were all in the top five most-watched. Many of the programmes, including "The Trap", have now ended, but thanks to their popularity many new mafia dramas are now in production.
Overall crime rates in Armenia, meanwhile, jumped 54.7 percent last year and police say local television's love affair with the criminal world is partly responsible.
"These programmes are propaganda for criminality," Armenian police spokesman Sayat Shirinian said. "Glorifying criminals, humiliating the police and showing that violence is the answer of course will have an effect on people's morals and lead to an increase in criminality."
Critics are especially worried about the impact of the programmes on children.
"These series are teaching new behaviour -- that murder, terror or blackmail are the fastest and most effective way to solve problems," child psychologist Khachatur Gasparian said. "Children identify with the heroes of these programmes and become more aggressive and uncontrollable."
Some have even raised concerns that the programmes are damaging Armenia's international image by portraying the country as a hotbed of crime.
Critics fear the series could scare off investment from Armenia's widespread diaspora community, which the impoverished country relies on for significant economic and political support.
"These series create the impression that the country has no honest policemen or fair officials, that all questions are solved by violence," said Hovik Musayelian, a member of Armenia's Public Council, an advisory body to the government.
"Many Armenians from the diaspora are afraid to invest because they think the country is in the hands of criminals and the mafia," he said.
In the face of growing criticism, Armenia's National Commission on Television and Radio took steps this year to rein in the mafia programmes, imposing new restrictions on showing violence and on positive portrayals of criminals. But critics say the rules can be broadly interpreted and may not have much effect.
Harutyun Gukasian, a scriptwriter for "The Trap", said he cannot understand what all the fuss is about and dismissed claims that mafia dramas may be behind rising crime rates as absurd.
"Don't make me laugh... Nobody becomes a mafioso from watching television," he said. "We are following the same path the whole world has. Crime dramas are popular everywhere."
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