LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR ‘NATIONAL HERO’
By Ruzan Poghosian
AZG Armenian Daily
14/04/2006
Yesterday, the Budapest Municipal Court convicted Ramil Safarov to
life imprisonment with no right to amnesty for 30 years. Charged
with axing to death Armenian serviceman Gurgen Margarian in his
sleep on February 19 2004, Safarov received the ultimate punishment
under Hungarian law. All efforts of the Azerbaijani side to portrait
Safarov as not guilty proved futile as the evidence of premeditated
murder triumphed over Azeris fake proofs.
“That was the ultimate verdict for the Hungarian court,” Nazeli
Vardanian, attorney of Gurgen Margarian, told daily Azg over the phone.
Prior to bringing in the verdict the court listened to Safarov’s final
words. The embarrassed “national hero” of Azerbaijan said at first
that he has a poor command of Russian and the court should review
his initial evidence, then he went on the last try to persuade the
court that he has mental disorder and murdered Margarian while having
an attack. He said he remembers nothing, even why he had bought the
axe. He had no intention to murder the Margarian and did not attempt
the life of Hayk Makuchian, the other Armenian serviceman.
“He said no words of regret; never felt sorry for taking the young
Armenian’s life,” Nazeli Vardanian added.
Upon hearing the verdict, Safarov’s defense said they will file an
appeal, though the judge’s words clear up any doubt of the defendant’s
guilt.
The Azerbaijani “national hero” and “man of the year” will stand the
next trial on the second charge on May 3.