GIANNI BUQUICCHIO JOINS SECRETARY GENERAL OF COUNCIL OF EUROPE: I FIND UNACCEPTABLE THAT CONVICTED MURDERER IS WELCOMED AS HERO

Panorama.am
14/09/2012

Gianni Buquicchio, President of the Council of Europe’s Venice
Commission, has sent a letter to Gagik Harutyunyan, President of the
Constitutional Court of the Republic of Armenia, on Ramil Safarov’s
extradition, pardon and heroization.

Dear Mr President,

I share your indignation about what happened.

The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, speaking on behalf
of the Organization as a whole, made the following statement:

“Ramil Safarov was convicted for murder and sentenced to life
imprisonment in Hungary. On August 31, he was transferred to
Azerbaijan, and immediately pardoned. I do not want to comment on
the legal proceedings, but I find it unacceptable that a convicted
murderer is welcomed as a hero.

I reject the prospect of a world whose moral code begins to fray,
where respect for human dignity is denied. This is not the Europe that
we should wish for future generations. I condemn such glorification
of crime, and urge that we all work to uphold the respect for life,
and our values as defended by the Council of Europe.”

I fully subscribe to this statement.

Yours sincerely, Gianni Buquicchio

Mr. G. Harutyunnyan President of the Constitutional Court Of the
Republic of Armenia Member of the Council of Europe