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Baku Sun
March 12 2004
Hungarian lawyer hired for officer
by Zulfugar Agayev (Staff Writer)
BAKU - Azerbaijan has already hired a lawyer in Budapest to defend
its Senior Lieutenant, Ramil Safarov, 27, who was arrested in the
Hungarian capital on charges of murdering his Armenian counterpart,
26-year-old Gurgen Margarian, an Azerbaijani lawyer told reporters
Wednesday.
Adil Ismailov, an independent lawyer who went to Budapest in early
March, said that Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defense paid to hire the
Hungarian lawyer, whom he identified as 56-year-old Zalai
Peter.Ismaiov would not elaborate on how much the lawyer's fees would
amount to, but said the lawyer `is experienced enough.'
The two lawyers provided by Hungarian authorities to defend Safarov
stopped working right after Peter assumed his duties, Ismailov said.
The delay in the organization of Lt. Safarov's defense has recently
been one of the main subjects for several Azerbaijani nongovernmental
organizations, who have joined together in a coordination committee
to defend the officer's rights, which has led to authorities being
criticized.
Accusing high government officials of displaying a lax attitude
towards Safarov's defense, Akif Naghi, head of the Karabakh
Liberation Organization (QAT), warned that the QAT will stage protest
actions in front of government buildings if authorities fail to do
enough to protect the officer.
The incident happened in Budapest on 19 February when Azerbaijan's
Safarov allegedly entered the room of the Armenian officer,
Margarian, stabbing him to death and then hacking him with an ax.
The officers were both attending an English language course run under
the auspices of NATO's Partnership for Peace program at the Hungarian
University of National Defense in Budapest.
But Ismailov expressed satisfaction with the authorities' handling of
Safarov's defense and said there is no reason for concern in that
respect.
He mentioned that after returning from Budapest, he met with the
Minister of Defense, Safar Abiyev, and the head of the General
Prosecutor's Office, Zakir Garalov, and received assurances that the
government would do everything necessary to defend the officer.
With regard to Safarov's condition in a Budapest pre-trial detention
prison, Ismailov said, `I found it much better than I had expected.'
He noted that Safarov's menu does not include pork or swine fat, as
required by Islamic Shari'a rules. Hungarian laws allow Safarov's
relatives to visit him every Thursday, till 12 a.m. and there is no
need to get permission for that in advance. The defendant's family
members and other relatives can also mail him whenever they want and
there is no restriction for this either. The lieutenant can also use
money from his bank account, Ismailov added.
Peter's Azerbaijani translator, who would not give her name, also
said in a telephone interview from Budapest that Safarov's condition
is quite normal.
She said that by Hungarian laws, Safarov can have a TV set, a radio
and also an electric kettle in his prison cell.
`We'll give him these things soon,' the translator said, adding that
Safarov also asked for sports wear and a pair of sports shoes. When
asked about Safarov's psychological condition, the translator
described it as `very calm and normal.'
The lawyer Ismailov said that thus far Safarov has given two
testimonies, in which the defendant attributed his move to the
murdered Armenian officer's `unpleasant' behaviors and also to the
Armenians' occupation of Azerbaijani territories, including his
native village Jabrail, the massive killings of civilians in the
Azerbaijani town of Khojaly in 1992, etc.
Ismailov said that a medical examination of the officer indicated
that his mental state is normal and that he was not in a state of
temporary insanity while killing Margarian.
If Safarov is found guilty, Ismailov explained, the court can
sentence him to anything from 10 years to life in prison. The
investigation into the murder case can last up to three months,
Ismailov added.
The new Hungarian ambassador to Armenia, Ferenc Kontra, who is based
in Moscow, reportedly said in a meeting with the Armenian Minister of
Foreign Affairs Vartan Oskanian Tusesday that Safarov will have to
spend all his sentence term in Hungary if he is found guilty. Kontra
said that Safarov couldn't be handed over to Azerbaijan, which many
in Baku claim to be possible.
The lawyer Ismailov said he had discussed this with his Hungarian
counterparts while in Budapest, and concluded that the handing over
would be `quite real and nothing could prevent this because of
certain European conventions, which Azerbaijan and Hungary have both
joined.'
Earlier, Zaver Gafarov, head of the international law cooperation
department at the Ministry of Justice, told the Baku Sun that
according to a 1983 European convention, Azerbaijan has the full
right to ask Hungarian authorities for Safarov's handing over to
Baku.
This could happen if the Azerbaijani officer wanted to serve his term
in Baku and also if the Azerbaijani government appeals to the
Hungarian government, Gafarov said.
March 12 2004
Hungarian lawyer hired for officer
by Zulfugar Agayev (Staff Writer)
BAKU - Azerbaijan has already hired a lawyer in Budapest to defend
its Senior Lieutenant, Ramil Safarov, 27, who was arrested in the
Hungarian capital on charges of murdering his Armenian counterpart,
26-year-old Gurgen Margarian, an Azerbaijani lawyer told reporters
Wednesday.
Adil Ismailov, an independent lawyer who went to Budapest in early
March, said that Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defense paid to hire the
Hungarian lawyer, whom he identified as 56-year-old Zalai
Peter.Ismaiov would not elaborate on how much the lawyer's fees would
amount to, but said the lawyer `is experienced enough.'
The two lawyers provided by Hungarian authorities to defend Safarov
stopped working right after Peter assumed his duties, Ismailov said.
The delay in the organization of Lt. Safarov's defense has recently
been one of the main subjects for several Azerbaijani nongovernmental
organizations, who have joined together in a coordination committee
to defend the officer's rights, which has led to authorities being
criticized.
Accusing high government officials of displaying a lax attitude
towards Safarov's defense, Akif Naghi, head of the Karabakh
Liberation Organization (QAT), warned that the QAT will stage protest
actions in front of government buildings if authorities fail to do
enough to protect the officer.
The incident happened in Budapest on 19 February when Azerbaijan's
Safarov allegedly entered the room of the Armenian officer,
Margarian, stabbing him to death and then hacking him with an ax.
The officers were both attending an English language course run under
the auspices of NATO's Partnership for Peace program at the Hungarian
University of National Defense in Budapest.
But Ismailov expressed satisfaction with the authorities' handling of
Safarov's defense and said there is no reason for concern in that
respect.
He mentioned that after returning from Budapest, he met with the
Minister of Defense, Safar Abiyev, and the head of the General
Prosecutor's Office, Zakir Garalov, and received assurances that the
government would do everything necessary to defend the officer.
With regard to Safarov's condition in a Budapest pre-trial detention
prison, Ismailov said, `I found it much better than I had expected.'
He noted that Safarov's menu does not include pork or swine fat, as
required by Islamic Shari'a rules. Hungarian laws allow Safarov's
relatives to visit him every Thursday, till 12 a.m. and there is no
need to get permission for that in advance. The defendant's family
members and other relatives can also mail him whenever they want and
there is no restriction for this either. The lieutenant can also use
money from his bank account, Ismailov added.
Peter's Azerbaijani translator, who would not give her name, also
said in a telephone interview from Budapest that Safarov's condition
is quite normal.
She said that by Hungarian laws, Safarov can have a TV set, a radio
and also an electric kettle in his prison cell.
`We'll give him these things soon,' the translator said, adding that
Safarov also asked for sports wear and a pair of sports shoes. When
asked about Safarov's psychological condition, the translator
described it as `very calm and normal.'
The lawyer Ismailov said that thus far Safarov has given two
testimonies, in which the defendant attributed his move to the
murdered Armenian officer's `unpleasant' behaviors and also to the
Armenians' occupation of Azerbaijani territories, including his
native village Jabrail, the massive killings of civilians in the
Azerbaijani town of Khojaly in 1992, etc.
Ismailov said that a medical examination of the officer indicated
that his mental state is normal and that he was not in a state of
temporary insanity while killing Margarian.
If Safarov is found guilty, Ismailov explained, the court can
sentence him to anything from 10 years to life in prison. The
investigation into the murder case can last up to three months,
Ismailov added.
The new Hungarian ambassador to Armenia, Ferenc Kontra, who is based
in Moscow, reportedly said in a meeting with the Armenian Minister of
Foreign Affairs Vartan Oskanian Tusesday that Safarov will have to
spend all his sentence term in Hungary if he is found guilty. Kontra
said that Safarov couldn't be handed over to Azerbaijan, which many
in Baku claim to be possible.
The lawyer Ismailov said he had discussed this with his Hungarian
counterparts while in Budapest, and concluded that the handing over
would be `quite real and nothing could prevent this because of
certain European conventions, which Azerbaijan and Hungary have both
joined.'
Earlier, Zaver Gafarov, head of the international law cooperation
department at the Ministry of Justice, told the Baku Sun that
according to a 1983 European convention, Azerbaijan has the full
right to ask Hungarian authorities for Safarov's handing over to
Baku.
This could happen if the Azerbaijani officer wanted to serve his term
in Baku and also if the Azerbaijani government appeals to the
Hungarian government, Gafarov said.