During a Monday, September 10 meeting at the Hungarian Embassy with Ambassador Gyorgy Szapary, the Armenian National Committee of America shared the Armenian American community’s outrage over the Hungarian government’s decision to transfer to Baku convicted Azerbaijani axe-murderer Ramil Safarov, despite the clear indications that he would, upon his arrival, be pardoned for his crime and praised as a national hero, Asbarez reports.
In calling upon the Hungarian government for an open apology and a meaningful condemnation of Baku’s shameful actions, the ANCA expressed, during the course of an hour-long meeting, the full range of the community’s concerns, including the following three points:
1. It is not credible for the Hungarian government to argue that it was unaware of the obvious “pardon” loophole in its extradition treaty.
2. It is not credible for the Hungarian government to argue that it was unaware of the Azerbaijani government’s public praise of Ramil Safarov as a national hero, or the very high likelihood that this killer would be released by Ilham Aliyev if he were transferred to Baku.
3. It is not credible for the Hungarian government to argue that it was unaware that its actions would contribute to emboldening Azerbaijan to escalate its threats and acts of violence, de-stabilizing the region, and setting back the cause of peace.
The Hungarian opposition Tuesday condemned Prime Minister Orban’s actions as ‘morally bankrupt,’ and called for his resignation. Thousands of Hungarians protested the Orban decision during demonstrations in Budapest last week.
Despite international criticism from the U.S., France, Russia, and NATO, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev remains defiant about his decision to pardon, promote and financially reward axe-murderer Ramil Safarov for the ethnically motivated murder of Lt. Gurgen Margaryan. Safarov’s repatriation “was carried out in accordance with European conventions, and his release in accordance with Azerbaijan’s constitution,” Reuters quoted Aliyev as stating during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
Over the past week, Armenians around the world – from Calcutta, India to the United States – have protested the Orban extradition of Safarov with demonstrations in front of Hungarian embassies and consulates.
On September 7, representatives from Armenian organizations met with Dr. Gabor Garai, the Hungarian consul in Boston, to voice their outrage at the Hungarian government’s decision to extradite Ramil Safarov. During the meeting, representatives expressed their consternation at the Hungarian government’s unremorseful stance, despite being warned in advance of the consequences of the extradition. They stressed that support for Safarov in Azerbaijan is the crystallization of rabid anti-Armenian sentiments there.
