The Armenian Youth Federation will protest against the
extradition and pardoning of an Azerbaijani soldier responsible for brutally
murdering an Armenian military officer 8 years ago during NATO military
exercises in Hungary. The protest will take place on Thursday, September 6th at
3PM at the Azerbaijani and Hungarian Consulates–both located at 11766 Wilshire
Blvd. Suite 410, Los Angeles, California 90025. You can join the event on
Facebook by clicking here.
Below is the official statement released by the AYF
regarding the issue:
The Armenian Youth Federation, Western Region expresses
its outrage with the immoral and irresponsible decision of the Hungarian
Government to extradite a cold-blooded murderer, Ramil Safarov, responsible for
the axing of an Armenian Army lieutenant, Gurgen Margaryan in Budapest on
February 19, 2004. We strongly condemn the hate-driven actions of the Azeri
Government, which not only pardoned this criminal but also gave him a hero’s
welcome.
In 2006, the Hungarian court found Safarov guilty of
murdering Lt. Margaryan and sentenced him to life imprisonment without the
possibility of parole. His immediate release, justified by the Hungarian
Government by references to the 1983 Strasbourg Convention on the Transfer of
Sentenced Persons, has allowed the murderer to escape just punishment and
instead be treated as a national hero in Azerbaijan.
Officials in Budapest could not have been unaware of the
fact that the above mentioned Convention contains a clause which allows the
receiving country to issue pardons to transferred prisoners. Given the
circumstances, it becomes obvious that the Hungarian Government has chosen to
disregard morality and justice in exchange for Azeri petrodollars and the
friendly disposition of the corrupt regime in Baku.
This decision is even more deplorable due to the fact
that despite the assurances from Azerbaijan that Safarov’s sentence would not
be commuted, the brutal criminal was immediately pardoned by President Ilham
Aliyev and was greeted as a national hero upon his return to Baku. Once again,
we witnessed the lionization of those who preach hatred towards Armenians by
the Azeri society, which is consistent with the antagonistic and xenophobic
policies of the Government of Azerbaijan.
We condemn these actions of both the Government of
Hungary and the corrupt regime in Baku. We demand an apology from the Hungarian
Government and ask for the rescission of their immoral decision on extradition.
From the Azeri Government, we demand a reversal of the pardon and an immediate
imprisonment of Ramil Safarov. We call upon the Armenian community of Southern
California to join us in expressing our anger and demanding justice by
participating in a protest in front of the Azeri and Hungarian Consulates in
Los Angeles (11766 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90025) on Thursday,
September 6th at 3PM.
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