Around 100 protesters gathered at the Boston Common on Sept. 17 to protest the extradition of Ramil Safarov, the Azerbaijani axe murderer, from Hungary, and his subsequent pardon by Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev, The Armenian Weekly reports.
Protesters standing opposite the Massachusetts State House waived the Armenian flag and held signs criticizing both Azerbaijan and Hungary. One protester’s sign read, “Axe murderer on the loose… Thank Hungary for your safety concern.” Another held a poster with the words, “We are all Gurgen!” One woman held a small sign, “Humanity over politics.”
“Baku honors murderers!” and “Hungary has blood on its hands!” chanted the protesters.
“We are here today as Armenian-Americans to show the world our nation is united under our tri-color flag… We ask Hungary to stand by our side in this crucial time and recognize Artsakh [Karabagh] as a sovereign nation, and wipe its hands clean of the smeared blood,” said Antranig Avedissian, the president of the AYF-YOARF Greater Boston “Nejdeh” chapter, through a megaphone.
“We stand united with Armenians from all over the world, for Gurgen Margaryan,” he continued. “Today, I am Gurgen Margaryan; and today we are all Gurgen Margaryan.”
Protesters held a candlelight vigil and a moment of silence for Margaryan, the Armenian lieutenant who was axed to death during his sleep by Safarov. The protest ended with a prayer, the “Hayr Mer” (Our Father).
