Vardanyan Hopes for Next Session on Safarov Case to Be the Last One

PanARMENIAN.Net - The recurrent court session on the case of Azeri serviceman Ramil Safarov killing Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan was held in Budapest September 27. Lawyer engaged in the trial of the case, member of the International Bar Association Nazeli Vardanyan stated it. In her words, in the course of the hearing the prosecution proposed to requalify the article of "murder with aggravations" into the article of "genocide". In this view the defense has raised an objection. The Budapest court has not pronounced judgement on the issue yet. The evidence of Lithuanian officer Saulus Paulus was read during the court session over the absence of the witness. After that Armenian army officer Hayk Makuchyan was called to give testimony. By means of diverse question the defense tried to mislead the Armenian officer and find contradictions in his testimony. The judge however demanded to give an end to asking senseless questions and the interrogation was stopped. In N. Vardanyan's words, the court declared Hayk Makuchyan a victim but not a witness as he was considered earlier. Thus, it came to be rated as aggravation. In the course of the trial accused Ramil Safarov tried to deny possible complicity of another Azeri officer Anar Aliyev in the murder, who had lived with Safarov during ten days before the crime. At that Nazeli Vardanyan noted that according to the testimony of the witnesses, when attempting to rush into Hayk Makuchyan's room Ramil Safarov was shouting out, "Come out, Armenian. We will kill you." This fact proves that the crime was planned jointly with A. Aliyev. Safarov insisted he did not scheme a murder, however he refused to answer why he had obtained an axe beforehand. Nazeli Vardanyan also noted that Anar Aliyev was not present at the court sitting and the defense produced rather contradictory explanations of his absence assuring that A. Aliyev will be present at the next sitting. The Armenian lawyer sounded doubtful about such promise. After a break the experts who carried out the first and second medical examinations produced their resolutions. During the first examination Safarov was declared sane. The second examination carried out with the mediation of the defense revealed elements of posttraumatic syndrome. Psychologist Yuhas Christin, who made the first examination, presented his viewpoint and the examination outcomes in detail. He stated that the people with post-traumatic syndrome can develop fear but by no means aggression. A person with such syndrome would never become an army officer and would never dare to commit a murder. Moreover, posttraumatic syndrome can hit people, who witnessed any tragic events, in part, the events in Khodjaly. However during the above mentioned events Safarov was in Baku and then left for Turkey. The attempts of expert Ildiko Kovach, who carried out the second examination, proved his being not professional. As representative of the Armenian Defense Ministry Hayk Demoyan said during a press conference in Budapest, Kovach insisted that when in Turkey Ranil Safarov took in a medicine called Xenex prescribed for people with posttraumatic syndrome. However Yuhas Christin said that such medicine was not in circulation at that time. According to Nazeli Vardanyan, posttraumatic syndrome is not rated as psychological disease and cannot be considered to be a mitigating circumstance. After the testimony of the experts the court decreed to hold the third examination to consider the previous ones and approve either of them. On the whole Nazeli Vardanyan noted that some progress has been fixed latest the court sitting. She also said that the next sitting scheduled for December 15 will be the last one and the court will bring in a verdict. To remind, February 19, 2004 Armenian Armed Forces officer Gurgen Margaryan, who was taking an English course within NATO Partnership for Peace program was brutally hacked to death by Azeri officer Ramil Safarov. The latter was accused with Article 116.2 of the Hungarian Criminal Code, which provides for a punishment of 10-15 years of deprivation of liberty or life imprisonment.