LAWYER QUITS AZERI OFFICER’S DEFENSE

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
April 19 2006

Baku, April 18, AssA-Irada
Since the status of defense lawyer for Ramil Safarov, an Azerbaijani
officer sentenced for life by a Hungarian court for killing an
Armenian counterpart in 2004, has not helped him achieve anything,
Adil Ismayilov has decided not to go to Hungary in this capacity any
more, he told a news conference on Tuesday.

“Even though I had very little decision-making powers, the blame for
all the failures is now being put at my feet. Not many people know
that I didn’t even have the right to speak in court,” he said and
added that there was no opportunity to influence Safarov’s Hungarian
lawyer either.

“I have many cases to deal with in Baku. Nevertheless, only out of
respect for Ramil Safarov, I had to travel all the way to Budapest
every time. If I go there again, I will go only as his friend,”
the lawyer stressed.

He also said he was pleased with the measures taken by the Azerbaijani
state to defend the officer, but acknowledged that the efforts would
have been far more effective if properly coordinated.

“All powers must be vested in one person who can then be held
accountable for the results,” he said and concluded that he could
take up that mission if asked to do so.