SCTO chief: Azerbaijan pardoning of Safarov inexcusable

September 3, 2012 - 16:18 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Azeri authorities' decision to pardon the killer of an Armenian officer, who has been extradited by Hungary, will call into question the efficiency of the interstate crime suppression system, Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Secretary General said, according to Interfax.

"The step, which obviously served current political goals, is inexcusable. Moreover, heroization of the criminal will add to the already high regional tensions," Nikolai Bordyuzha told reporters on Monday, September 3.

The decision of Azeri authorities to pardon the killer of the Armenian officer transferred from Hungary "disagrees with international legal norms and calls into question the efficiency of the interstate crime suppression system," he said.

"The international community will promptly give an objective evaluation to this case," he said.

Ramil Safarov, the Azerbaijani army officer who was serving a life sentence in Hungary for axing to death Armenian Lt. Gurgen Margaryan, was extradited to Azerbaijan and pardoned by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

Official Yerevan reacted by suspending diplomatic ties with Hungary.

Gurgen Margaryan

On February 19, 2004, Lieutenant of the Armenian Armed Forces Gurgen Margaryan, 26, was hacked to death, while asleep, by a fellow Azerbaijani participant, lieutenant Ramil Safarov, in Budapest during a three-month English language course in the framework of Partnership for Peace NATO-sponsored program. In accordance with Budapest District Court sentence dated April 13, 2006, Ramil Safarov was life imprisoned for murdering the Armenian officer.

On February 22, 2007, Budapest Court rejected the Azerbaijani military officer's appeal against a life sentence. The appeal court ruled that the decision brought by Budapest District Court against 30-year-old Lieutenant Ramil Safarov, should stand.

On August 31, 2012, Hungary extradited Safarov back to Azerbaijan, where he was promptly pardoned by President Ilham Aliyev.