BUDAPEST COURT SENTENCED AZERI MILITARY OFFICER RAMIL SAFAROV TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT
Author: E. Javadova
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
April 13 2006
On April 13 Budapest court has sentenced Azeri military officer Ramil
Safarov to life imprisonment, legal representative of Mr Safarov’s
family, lawyer Adil Ismaylov told Trend.
The sentence passed by Judge Andrash Vashkuti says within the framework
of NATO program “Partnership in the name of peace” Azeri military
officer Ramil Safarov was sent by the Ministry of defense to Hungary
for participation in English language trainings in January-February
2004. Several days before the end, on February 19, he slaughtered
Armenian officer Gurgen Markaryan with an axe.
The Judge said the results of the expert review submitted to the
court prove Mr Safarov to have been sane that moment.
Mr Ismaylov said also that after receiving the court decision by
Hungarian lawyers they will appeal to the higher legal instances.
We remind that the court four times arranged an expert review of
Mr Safarov’s psychological state. The review results showed some
discrepancy. First results blaming Mr Safarov were not accepted by
the judge. Hungarian legislation allows only three reviews to arrange
by the judge. But the judge violated the law and arranged the fourth
expert review. The last review concluded that at the moment of crime
and afterwards Mr Safarov was in a sound mind. The lawyers said the
judge had been biased and the last review was conducted incorrectly.
In his last words Mr Safarov did not admit his guilt and said the
reason for murder was the deep offense of state flag of Azerbaijan
by G. Markaryan and his rude words in address of Azeri people.