BUDAPEST. – The ombudsman of Hungary presented a report on the Ramil Safarov case, Vice Chairman Nikoghos Hakobyan of the “Armenian National Autonomy of Hungary” Organization told Armenian News-NEWS.am.
In his words, the report is fairly critical. At present, the document is being translated into English and it is expected to be publicized towards mid-January. Hakobyan also informed that representatives from the Hungarian Armenian community had met with the ombudsman at the end of December.
As for the Armenian community’s next courses of action and filing a lawsuit in connection with Safarov’s extradition, Nikoghos Hakobyan said they already have held discussions with two attorneys in this respect.
“The jurists are studying the materials, [and] discussing the next steps,” he noted.
Armenian News-NEWS.am reported earlier that Ramil Safarov, a lieutenant in the Azerbaijani military, was extradited on August 31, 2012 from Hungary, where he was serving a life sentence—and with no expression of either regret or remorse—for the premeditated axe murder of Armenian lieutenant Gurgen Margaryan, in his sleep, during a NATO Partnership for Peace program in Budapest back in 2004.
As expected, Ramil Safarov’s return to Baku was welcomed, as was his act of murder, by the officials of president Ilham Aliyev’s government and much of Azerbaijani society, and the Azerbaijani president immediately granted him a pardon and he was declared a national hero.
And Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan announced on August 31, 2012 that Armenia is suspending its diplomatic ties with Hungary. Also, Sargsyan had instructed the Ministry of Justice to take all measures to apply to the international judicial tribunals, and with respect to the Safarov case.
Ramil Safarov’s pardoning is condemned by virtually all international organizations.
Also, a group of Hungarian intellectuals had visited Armenia last year—and in connection with this incident—to announce that they are ashamed of the action that was taken by the Hungarian authorities.
