A Canadian activist Berdge Manoukian sent a letter to Laszlo Pordany, Hungary’s ambassador to Canada, in Ottawa. The letter is presented below.
Dear Mr. Ambassador,
I am raising my voice of disapproval for your Government’s act of negligence releasing a murderer called Ramil Safarov. A killer judged by law and serving a life sentence in your country was released and sent back to his country of ori gin, Azerbaijan.
A childish and a naive act of good-willingness resulted in making a hero out of a criminal. As matter of fact as per a news release, the killer on his return has been congratulated by Aliyev, cleared of any guilt awarded over eight years’ worth of salary for the time he spent in a Hungarian prison, and gifted him with an apartment.
As per another report from news.az, the Azerbaijani Defense Minister Safar Abiyev pro- moted Ramil Safarov from the rank of lieutenant to major, a day after the latter was extradited to Azerbaijan from Hungary and received a pardon from Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
I am full of disgust for the way your government acted.
Economic considerations and financial dealings should never be a valid cause to suppress human rights. Unfortunately, as an EU member, Hungary, which cherishes the principles of democracy and justice, supported the nasty pro- gram of justifying an Azerbaijani murderer, a fact, which is pregnant with the threat of murders on the basis of nationality and religion.
We need to see a serious effort in correcting this blunder. Your minister of justice as well as your minister of foreign affairs are to be demoted and to be brought to order.The promoted hero “Major” Safarov is to be repatriated (if yet possible) and Azerbaijan’s way of handling the issue is to be questioned.
Simple face-saving actions will not be enough.
Berdge Manoukian, Armenian Rights Council of Canada Montreal
