Hungary’s ombudsman demands full report on Safarov transfer

PanARMENIAN.Net - Hungary’s ombudsman on Monday, Sept 10, asked for an all-inclusive report concerning the transfer of life-sentenced Azeri criminal Ramil Safarov from the Justice Minister, politics.hu reported.

“The ombudsman’s office expects information on the preparation of the transfer to Azerbaijan, on preliminary cabinet decisions, their reasons and background, and on an alleged written guarantee from the Azeri government [to keep Safarov behind bars],” ombudsman Mate Szabo said in a statement.

Safarov, who had been sentenced to life imprisonment for killing Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan in Budapest in 2004, was transferred from Hungary to Azerbaijan on August 31. On arrival in Baku, he was pardoned by the president and released. Armenia suspended diplomatic relations with Hungary later that day.

The ombudsman recalled that Hungarian laws stipulate that a transfer can only take place if the receiving country assures the sender about upholding and continuing the sentence the convict received.

Earlier in the day, Socialist lawmaker Gergely Barandy, member of the parliament’s constitutional committee, requested access to the documents relating to Safarov’s transfer.

Members of the committee will be given access to the papers, the committee’s chairman Laszlo Salamon, of the co-ruling Christian Democrats, said on Monday, quoting a letter by Justice Minister Tibor Navracsics.