UN hopes Safarov pardon won’t harm Karabakh process

September 7, 2012 - 16:29 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Martin Nesirky, Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that Mr. Ban is “concerned about the developments surrounding the case of Ramil Safarov since his transfer to Azerbaijan and subsequent pardon by Azerbaijani authorities.”

Safarov was sentenced to life for murdering Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan, in his sleep, during a 2004 NATO Partnership for Peace program in Budapest. However, immediately after extradition to Azerbaijan, the 35-year-old criminal was treated as a hero, promoted to major and given an apartment and back pay for his years in jail.

Hungarian authorities say Azerbaijan had promised to uphold the sentence handed down to Safarov.

“The UN underscores the responsibility of Member States to adhere to international standards and principles of rule of law in criminal cases in order to ensure accountability and fight impunity. As highlighted by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Co-Chairs in their recent statement, we hope that this issue will not damage the Nagorno Karabakh peace process and trust between the sides. There is no alternative to a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict,” Mr. Nesirky said.

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.