Author: nina hovnanian

Scoop.co.nz , New Zealand
Sept 8 2012

Azerbaijani Officer Extradited From Hungary

Saturday, 8 September 2012, 6:44 pm
Press Release: United Nations

UN Concerned Over Legal Case of Azerbaijani Officer Extradited From Hungary

New York, Sep 7 2012 12:10PM The United Nations human rights office is
`seriously concerned’ about the case of an Azerbaijani military
officer who was sentenced to life in prison in Hungary for the brutal
2004 murder of an Armenian officer, according to a UN spokesperson.

The Azerbaijani officer, Ramil Safarov, had been taking part in the
same North Atlantic Treaty Organization training programme in Hungary
as his Armenian counterpart, Gurgen Markaryan, at the time of the
crime.

`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,’ a spokesperson for the
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Rupert
Colville, told a news briefing in Geneva. `This has resulted in an
international furore.’

The murder had been `clearly ethnically motivated,’ Mr. Colville also noted.

OHCHR’s concerns echo that of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. In
response to a media question on the issue on Thursday, Mr. Ban’s
spokesperson, Martin Nesirky, said that the UN chief is concerned
about the developments surrounding the case of Mr. Safarov.

`The United Nations underscores the responsibility of Member States to
adhere to international standards and principles of rule of law in
criminal cases in order to ensure accountability and fight impunity,’
Mr. Nesirky said.

Addressing the news briefing in Geneva today, Mr. Colville said that
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,’ he stated.

In their comments, both Mr. Colville and Mr. Nesirky made reference to
a statement earlier this week from the Co-chairs of the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) Minsk Group, in which
they expressed concern over `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.’

`As highlighted by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe Co-Chairs in their recent statement, we hope that this issue
will not damage the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process and trust between
the sides,’ Mr. Nesirky said. `There is no alternative to a peaceful
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.’

Co-chaired by France, Russia and the United State, the OSCE’s Minsk
Group spearheads that organization’s efforts to find a political
solution to the conflict in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, involving
Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The two countries have been in a dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh
region, which is part of Azerbaijan’s territory but is occupied by
Armenian forces.

L’ARMENIE S’IMPOSE 1-0 SUR MALTE ET PREND LA TETE DE SON GROUPE
Krikor Amirzayan

armenews.com
amedi 8 septembre 2012

Hier soir a La Valette (Malte), la selection nationale d’Armenie
affrontait Malte pour son premier match comptant pour les
qualifications de la Coupe du monde 2014 (Groupe B europeen). En
première partie de jeu, l’Armenie a largement domine. Un tir de Marcos
Piselli a la 30e echouait sur la ligne des cages de l’equipe de Malte.

La balle avait-elle franchi la ligne ? Les arbitres n’ont en tout
cas pas accorde le but. Les Maltais operaient quant a eux par des
contre-attaques. Mais le score restait vierge a la mi-temps. En
seconde partie de jeu, l’Armenie portait de très nombreuses attaques.

A la 70e minute Arthur Sarkissov qui etait entre sur le terrain cinq
minutes plus tôt recevait une balle de Youra Movsissian et ouvrait
le score pour l’Armenie. Dans les dernières minutes de la rencontre,
l’Armenie pouvait doubler le score. Mais le match s’est finalement
termine par la victoire 1-0 de l’Armenie. Dans le meme groupe, la
Bulgarie faisait match nul (2-2) face a l’Italie. La rencontre entre
la Republique tchèque et le Danemark n’ayant pas eu lieu, l’Armenie se
retrouvait hier soir en tete du classement provisoire de son groupe
avec 3 points, devant la Bulgarie, l’Italie et Malte. Mardi pour la
deuxième rencontre de ces qualifications de la Coupe du monde 2014
l’Armenie sera opposee a la Bulgarie a Sofia.

” La Hongrie A Agi En Toute Sincerite Dans L’Affaire Safarov ” Dit Le Premier Ministre Hongrois Victor Orban L’Hypocrisie Est A Son Comble…
Krikor Amirzayan

armenews.com
amedi 8 septembre 2012

Le Premier ministre hongrois Victor Orban s’entete. ” non seulement
la Hongrie a agi en toute sincerite mais en plus elle a agi dans le
respect des règles europeennes en matière de droit ” dit-il avec une
très grande hypocrisie sur les ondes de la radio publique hongroise.

Pire encore ! Celui dont le pays a pris la tete de la presidence de
l’Europe redouble de mauvaise foi en declarant que le developpement
actuel du conflit entre l’Armenie et l’Azerbaïdjan ne regardent pas la
Hongrie… ” Cette guerre n’est pas a cause de nous (…) ce n’est
pas la nôtre. Cela ne regarde pas la Hongrie ” a affirme le plus
serieusement du monde le chef du gouvernement hongrois !

De plus Victor Orban estime que la Hongrie a interet a rester hors
du conflit. Oubliant que la mèche de la presente crise grave entre
Erevan et Bakou a ete allumee a Budapest par ses propres mains…Le
cynisme de Victor Orban va jusqu’a le faire declarer que la Hongrie
peut etre fière de son gouvernement qui a agi dans la transparence
la plus complète en matière de droit europeen .Il parle de garanties
ecrites par l’Azerbaïdjan de maintenir Safarov en prison a Bakou. Ce
n’est pas de la naïvete, c’est reellement de l’hypocrisie car la
diplomatie hongroise ne pouvait ignorer ce que la promesse et les ”
garanties ” pouvaient valoir du côte de Bakou qui faisait miroiter
de faire briller l’or noir jusqu’aux rives de la Danube. Et meme si
Zsolt Nemeth, le Secretaire d’Etat charge de la diplomatie hongroise
a presente face au tolle general, le 2 septembre, a l’Ambassadeur
d’Azerbaïdjan a Budapest une notre de protestation, ce n’etait que
purement pour la forme. Car la messe etait deja dite. Et Safarov
paradait sur les rives de la Caspienne.

UN CONCERNED OVER AZERBAIJAN’S PARDON FOR AX-MURDER SOLDIER

Agence France Presse
September 6, 2012 Thursday 5:00 PM GMT

UN leader Ban Ki-moon on Thursday added his voice to criticism of
Azerbaijan for pardoning a soldier who axed to death a rival from
Armenia.

The United Nations called on Azerbaijan to keep to “international
standards and principles of rule of law,” said UN spokesman Martin
Nesirky.

Tensions have mounted between Armenia and Azerbaijan since Ramil
Safarov was given a hero’s welcome and freed in Baku after being
extradited last week from Hungary. He had been serving a life sentence
for hacking the Armenian officer to death during a NATO training
exercise in Budapest in 2004.

“The secretary general is concerned about the developments surrounding
the case of Mr Safarov since his transfer on August 31 to Azerbaijan
and subsequent pardon by Azerbaijani authorities,” Nesirky told
reporters.

“The UN underscores the responsibility of member states to adhere
to international standards and principles of rule of law in criminal
cases in order to ensure accountability and fight impunity.”

Armenia and Azerbaijan are in dispute over the Nagorno Karabakh and the
United Nations hopes the latest wrangle will not “damage the Nagorno
Karabakh peace process and trust between the sides,” Nesirky added.

“There is no alternative to a peace settlement to the Nagorno Karkabakh
conflict,” he said.

NATO, the United States and European Union have all expressed concern
about the Safarov case.

FM CALLS FOR CALM AHEAD OF ARMENIAN, AZERBAIJANI PROTESTS PLANNED IN LITHUANIA

Baltic News Service / – BNS
September 6, 2012 Thursday 6:58 AM EET

VILNIUS, Sep 06, BNS – Lithuania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has
called for calm amid plans by representatives of the Armenian and
Azerbaijani communities to hold protests in Lithuania on Thursday.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania is aware of the fact
that representatives of the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities in
Lithuania are organizing pickets today. We hope that participants
of these pickets will present their positions in a moderate manner
and restrain from harsh rhetoric, will respect national symbols and
not instigate discord between the nations that have been peacefully
cohabitating in Lithuania for centuries,” the ministry said in
a statement.

Already tense Armenian-Azerbaijani relations have recently worsened
after Azerbaijan pardoned and promoted its military officer Ramil
Safarov who had killed an Armenian military officer with an axe.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs supported the concern raised by the
EU regarding the situation, which had resulted from actions taken by
the government of Azerbaijan in relation to Ramil Safarov and called
on the countries to find a way to defuse the tension and renew the
dialogue based on the generally recognized norms of international law.

We sincerely hope that Lithuanian citizens of the Armenian and
Azerbaijani background will contribute to these efforts,” the
Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

On August 31, Hungary handed over to Baku Safarov who had been
sentenced to life imprisonment in Budapest without the right to
be pardoned. He killed Armenian officer Gurgen Margarian, 30, at a
Budapest military academy in 2004.

Nevertheless, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev pardoned him the same
day after he was extradited.

Armenia and Azerbaijan waged a bloody war in the 1990s over the region
of Nagorno-Karabakh.

ESTONIA’S ARMENIANS, AZERIS HOLD PROTEST RALLIES

Baltic News Service / – BNS
September 6, 2012 Thursday 2:27 PM EET

TALLINN, Sep 06, BNS – Both the Armenians and the Azeris living in
Estonia staged demonstrations in Tallinn on Thursday in connection with
the tensions that have flared up between Armenia and Azerbaijan lately.

The Armenians gathered at the Armenian church in downtown Tallinn to
protest the repatriation to and freeing in Azerbaijan of Ramil Safarov,
an officer convicted of and serving a life sentence in Hungary for
murdering an Armenian officer.

In response to the unsanctioned demonstration around 100 Azeris in turn
gathered within a few hours outside the Azerbaijani embassy to express
their indignation and displeasure over the provocations organized by
groups connected with the Armenian community, the Azerbaijan Community
of Estonia said.

Safarov killed Armenian Lt. Gurgen Margarjan with an axe in 2004 at
a military academy in Budapest where both servicemen were attending
an English language course organized in the framework of NATO’s
Partnership for Peace program. The Hungarian police then described
the murder as particularly cruel.

A court in Budapest in 2006 sentenced Safarov to life imprisonment
without the right to appeal for pardon for 30 years.

Hungary agreed to send Safarov back to his home country after
assurances by the Azerbaijani Justice Ministry that he would continue
serving his sentence in his home country. However, Safarov was pardoned
by President Ilkham Aliyev as soon as he arrived in Azerbaijan,
which triggered mass protests in Armenia.

Armenia on Friday broke diplomatic relations and “all official ties”
with Hungary.

AZERBAIJAN URGES OSCE MINSK GROUP TO HELP IT LIBERATE ITS LAND IN KARABAKH

Interfax
Sept 7 2012
Russia

Azerbaijan will continue negotiations on settling the conflict over
Nagorno-Karabakh, but the OSCE Minsk Group should take efficient
steps to change the status quo, Azeri presidential spokesman Novruz
Mamedov said.

“We will continue negotiations on liberating our lands,” Mamedov said
on Lider television channel.

The only and the main precondition for restoring peace and stability in
the region is the withdrawal of Armenian troops from Azeri territory,
and the mediating countries should make efforts to ensure this,
he said.

“If this does not happen, sooner or later, Azerbaijan, as an
independent country, always reserves the right to liberate its lands
according to the relevant UN article,” Mamedov said.

CZECH FM: “THE IMAGE AND THE PRESTIGE OF AZERBAIJAN WERE SERIOUSLY DAMAGED”

Mediamax
Sept 7 2012
Armenia

Yerevan, September 7. /Mediamax/. First Deputy Prime Minister and
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Karel Schwarzenberg
stated that Ramil Safarov’s case is “a mockery of justice and the
rule of law.”

Karel Schwarzenberg said this September 6 in reply to the question
of the Chairman of the Czech-Armenian parliamentary friendship group
Robert Bohnisch at the session of the House of Representatives of
the Czech parliament, Mediamax reports.

Speaking about the actions of the Azeri leadership, Karel Schwarzenberg
said:

“We are deeply troubled by the actions of the Azerbaijani government
and informed their embassy about it. I don’t think that this case
concerns only the governments of Hungary, Azerbaijan and Armenia. The
whole international community is deeply concerned by Azerbaijan’s
actions. The image and the prestige of Azerbaijan were seriously
damaged.”

NATO’S REPROACH AND PRAISE FOR AZERBAIJAN
by Giorgi Lomsadze

EurasiaNet.org
Sept 7 2012
NY

NATO boss Anders fogh Rasmussen has slapped Baku on the wrist for
pardoning the murderer of an Armenian army officer (and glorifying him,
to boot), but the gesture appears to have left Yerevan unimpressed.

In this tough-spoken part of the world, “deep concern” is widely seen
as a Western diplomatic term for “This was bad, but we are not going
to do anything about it.” And subsequent tweets expressing NATO’s
appreciation of Azerbaijan’s role in the Afghanistan campaign and of
Baku’s partnership with the Alliance would particularly not correct
that impression.

Many Armenians believe that the Alliance bears some responsibility for
the 2004 axe murder since it happened at a NATO seminar in Budapest.

Rasmussen does not.

Arguably, at a time like this, whatever he said on his
Armenia-Azerbaijan tour, the general secretary would be left having
to balance on an extremely high wire. But the question is to what
extent his presence gave both sides pause amidst their rush of rage
or simply directed their anger at another target — the international
community itself.

Some Azerbaijani commentators, in a reflection of ongoing domestic
debate about President Ilham Aliyev’s pardon, expressed long-standing
frustration with the Minsk Group discussions.

Armenia had its own thoughts. As Rasmussen jetted off to Baku,
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan declared that the Safarov pardon
was “an attempt to test the international community’s reaction to
Azerbaijan’s unusual steps.” (He himself later headed off to Nagorno
Karabakh for the inauguration of de-facto leader Bako Saakian.)

How this chapter of the Karabakh conflict will end is anyone’s guess,
but don’t look for the international community to go out on a limb
at this point.

TIED FOR FIRST PLACE, ARMENIA TO FACE HUNGARY IN FINAL ROUND AT CHESS OLYMPIAD

Armenian Weekly
September 7, 2012

ISTANBUL, Turkey (A.W.)-With one round to go, Armenia shares the
lead with China and Russia, and will face Hungary in the final round
tomorrow, Sept. 8, at the Chess Olympiad in Istanbul.

Armenia will face off with Hungary in the final round. (Photo by Arman
Karakhanyan) Armenia defeated The Netherlands 3-1 in the tenth round
to maintain their spot on top of the standings with 18 points. China
defeated the U.S. and Russia defeated the Argentina, both 2.5-1.5,
to tie with Armenia for first place.

In the final round, Armenia will face off with Hungary, Russia will
take on Germany, while China will play the Ukraine.

Armenia has emerged victorious from eight out of nine matches so far.

It has only lost to China and drawn its match against Russia.

Organized by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), the Olympiad
is the most prestigious team competition in the chess world.

The top-seeds are Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Hungary, Azerbaijan,
China, and the U.S. respectively.

The Armenian national team is represented by Levon Aronian, Sergei
Movsesian, Vladimir Akopian, Gabriel Sargissian, and Tigran Petrosian.

Armenia won the 2006 and 2008 Olympiads, and came in 7th in 2010.

A number of Armenian chess players are representing other countries.

Most notable among them is Varuzhan Akobian, who is part of the U.S.

team, and Krikor Sevag Mekhitarian, on the Brazilian team.

The Olympiad comprises of 11 rounds, and will conclude on Sept. 10.

The Armenian Weekly has been providing up-to-the-minute results on
its Facebook page, and detailed coverage on its website.