Interim Resolution Adopted Against Azerbaijan Regarding Ramil Safarov Case

The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has adopted an interim resolution against Azerbaijan concerning the case of Azerbaijani military officer Ramil Safarov, who brutally murdered Armenian serviceman Gurgen Margaryan. This information was provided by the Office of the Representative for International Legal Issues.

The 1531st meeting of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers on human rights took place in Strasbourg, France. The adopted interim resolution serves as a critical measure in the event of non-compliance with the ruling in the case of "Makuchyan and Minasyan versus Azerbaijan and Hungary."

According to the resolution, the Committee of Ministers urges the immediate confirmation that publications supporting the pardon and release of the criminal, posted on the presidential administration's website, are removed. It also demands ensuring that the individual responsible for the severe human rights violations identified in this case does not hold any state office, and expresses profound regret that the perpetrator of the hate crime has been granted privileges that appear to lack any legal basis under domestic law. Furthermore, the resolution calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to fulfill their unconditional obligation to cover the expenses of the representatives of the applicants.

To remind, in 2004, Gurgen Margaryan was part of an Armenian Armed Forces delegation attending an English language course sponsored by NATO under the "Partnership for Peace" program in Budapest. The training involved representatives from various former USSR countries, including Azerbaijan.

That night, Azerbaijani Ramil Safarov entered Gurgen Margaryan's room and fatally stabbed the sleeping Armenian officer with an axe. He also attempted to invade the room of another Armenian officer, Hayk Makuchyan, but was unsuccessful.

During the trial in Hungary, Ramil Safarov not only showed no remorse but also admitted to killing Gurgen Margaryan solely due to his Armenian ethnicity, claiming he was provoked and mocked by the Armenian participants of the course. Hungary extradited Safarov to Azerbaijan, where he was sentenced to life imprisonment but was pardoned and promoted by President Ilham Aliyev.

It is also noteworthy that diplomatic relations between Armenia and Hungary were frozen in 2012.