HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE CONCERNED ABOUT SAFAROV CASE
Panorama.am
07/09/2012
Rupert Colville, a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for
Human Rights, has issued the following statement on the extradition
and pardon of Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov:
“We are seriously concerned about the case of Ramil Safarov, an
Azerbaijani military officer who was sentenced to life in prison in
Hungary for the brutal 2004 murder of an Armenian officer, Gurgen
Markaryan, who was taking part in the same NATO training programme
in Hungary. The murder was clearly ethnically motivated.
The concerns relate to the fact that, around a week ago, Safarov was
extradited from Hungary to Azerbaijan, where instead of serving out
the rest of his sentence, he was pardoned by the President, publicly
praised, and promoted by the Defence Ministry. This has resulted in
an international furore.
International standards regarding accountability for serious crimes
should be upheld. Ethnically motivated hate crimes of this gravity
should be deplored and properly punished – not publicly glorified by
leaders and politicians.
We are also in full agreement with the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk
Group who earlier this week expressed deep concern about “the damage
the pardon and any attempts to glorify the crime have done to the
[Nagorno-Karabakh] peace process and trust between the two sides.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Emil Lazarian. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
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