ArmenPress
March 10 2004

MURDERER OF ARMENIAN OFFICER SENDS MESSAGE TO HIS NATION

BAKU, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS: The defense ministry of Azerbaijan has
committed to pay a Hungarian attorney Peter Zala, hired by the
official Baku to defend Ramil Safarov, an Azeri officer who hacked to
death an Armenian classmate, Gurgen Margarian in Budapest on February
19.
An Azeri lawyer, Adil Ismailov, who is steering a committee,
founded in Azerbaijan to defend Safarov, told in Baku upon his return
from Hungary that Safarov was recognized guilty after a test to
identify whether he was suffering from a mental disorder, produced a
negative result. Ismailov said the defense will be based on the
assumption that “as long as the Armenian-Azeri opposition over
Karabagh remains unresolved, similar incidents are likely to happen.”
He said he was assured by the authorities that “president Aliyev is
following closely the case of Safarov.”
Azeri prosecutors are traveling next week to Budapest to meet with
Hungary’s chief prosecutor and hand over all required documents.
According to Ismailov, the investigation into the murder will be
finished in 2 months and only then the date of the trial will be set.
He said Safarov is charged with premeditated murder, facing a prison
term from 15 years to life imprisonment, but did not rule out that
Safarov may be handed over to Azerbaijan to serve his term in his
home country. He also said the government is prepared to defend its
citizen, and added that Safarov addressed a message to his
compatriots, which will be unveiled soon. The commission in defense
of Safarov is said to have collected $25,000 to take care of all
necessary expenses.