YEREVAN.- Armenia will soon appeal to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination regarding  extradition and pardon of axe-murderer Ramil Safarov.

The appeal will be based on Article 11 of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, Deputy Justice Minister Yeghishe Kirakosyan told reporters on Friday.

The Committee’s attention will be drawn to Azerbaijan’s policy on discrimination and propaganda of hatred against Armenians.

“The Republic of Armenia is confident that extradition of murderer Ramil Safarov, his pardon and glorification is a gross violation of the international law,” Deputy Minister said.  

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. Safarov had planned on killing the other Armenian military serviceman, who likewise was attending the aforesaid program, but he was unable to carry out this plan.

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, he was declared a national hero, promoted to a higher military rank, and was allocated housing and pension.

And Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan announced on August 31, 2012 that Armenia is suspending its diplomatic ties with Hungary. Also, Sargsyan instructed the Ministry of Justice to take all measures to petition to the international judicial tribunals, and with respect to the Safarov case.    

Ramil Safarov’s pardoning was condemned by virtually all international organizations.