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SAFAROV'S CASE MIRRORS AZERBAIJANI-ARMENIAN RELATIONS
CENTRAL ASIA - CAUCASUS ANALYST
Wednesday / April 19, 2006
By Fariz Ismailzade
Last week the year-long court process on the case of Azerbaijani army
officer Ramil Safarov, who was accused of murdering his Armenian
colleague Gurgen Markarian during a NATO language course in Budapest
was concluded. The Hungarian court found Safarov guilty and sentenced
him to life imprisonment with the right to apply for amnesty only
after 30 years. The decision was immediately labeled in Baku as
biased and unfair. Surely, there were no doubts that Safarov was the
one who committed the murder (as he himself admitted) and few doubted
that he would be found guilty. Yet Azerbaijanis also hoped that the
judge would take into consideration such factors as Safarov's personal
background as a refugee from the occupied Azerbaijani areas, the
provocations from the side of Armenian officers during the language
classes and his modest behavior during the course of investigation.
The news from Hungary prompted a very radical reaction in
Baku. Thousands of university students left their classes and
organized ad-hoc street rallies, demanding freedom and a fair trial
for Safarov. Police was totally unprepared to block such a massive
flow of people and could only observe the march. Students accused the
Hungarian court of being biased and unfair towards the Azerbaijani
officer. They claimed that a regular murder case in Hungary would
result in 8-9 years in prison, and that pressures from the Armenian
lobby and government forced the Hungarian judge to impose a much
harsher conviction.
Safarov's case also brought reactions from Azerbaijani politicians and
media. `We were not able to protect our son!' exclaimed the
Azerbaijani opposition daily Azadliq. `Making Ramil a hero, and
claiming that he embarrassed the Azerbaijani nation, are two extreme
assessments,' said Ali Kerimli, the leader of the opposition Popular
Front party.
Safarov's personal lawyer Adil Ismaylov gave a press conference in
Baku, saying that the defense side would appeal the decision in the
Courts of Appeals and would even take the case all the way to the
European Court on Human Rights until `Ramil receives a judgment that
his action and personality deserve.' Ismaylov also noted that a series
of court procedures were violated by the Hungarian judge and expressed
hope that these examples would be taken into consideration by the
Court of Appeals.
The majority of Azerbaijanis continue to consider Safarov's actions as
justified. `Armenians have occupied our lands, raped our women, killed
our children. Why doe nobody focus on that? Why does the world refuse
to talk about that? Ramil has killed an enemy and he did the right
thing,' said Tarlan Gasimov, a master's degree student at Baku State
University.
Safarov's career in the military and his various achievements in
foreign military trainings add respect to him in the eyes of the
Azerbaijani public. Finally, Safarov is widely respected for not
putting up with Armenian officer's insults and the latter's disrespect
for the Azerbaijani flag and honor. `When they [Armenian participants
of the training] were drunk in the evenings, they would make insults
towards me and my nation. I was being patient at the beginning, but
when it came to the flag, I could not take it any more,' said Ramil
Safarov in an interview to ANS-TV on the day of court decision.
Safarov's case serves as a perfect example of Azerbaijani-Armenian
relations today. Most international organizations and local NGOs
continue to note the rising frustration in Azerbaijani society over
the fruitless and deadlocked peace process. This frustration as well
as the humiliation over the loss of lands is leading to the rise of a
militaristic mood among the Azerbaijani public. Most ordinary citizens
truly believe that the negotiations will not lead to the liberation of
the occupied regions and that war is the only remaining and effective
option. Thus, Safarov's anger and revenge might be the first harbinger
of future Azerbaijani-Armenian tensions.
These issues are of special importance at the moment as Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev prepares to depart to Washington on April 26 to
meet with his American counterpart George W. Bush. It is widely
expected by the local experts that the resolution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be one of the main issues in the agenda
of bilateral talks. American diplomat Steven Mann, in charge of the
peace process, will be traveling to the region on April 20 to make
final arrangements for the `recent new proposals' made to the warring
sides. It will be hard for Azerbaijani President Aliyev to make
further painful compromises on the conflict while tensions in the
Azerbaijani society are high and Safarov's case continues to remain
the number one news in the local media.
http://www.cacianalyst.org/view_article.php?artic leid=4175
CENTRAL ASIA - CAUCASUS ANALYST
Wednesday / April 19, 2006
By Fariz Ismailzade
Last week the year-long court process on the case of Azerbaijani army
officer Ramil Safarov, who was accused of murdering his Armenian
colleague Gurgen Markarian during a NATO language course in Budapest
was concluded. The Hungarian court found Safarov guilty and sentenced
him to life imprisonment with the right to apply for amnesty only
after 30 years. The decision was immediately labeled in Baku as
biased and unfair. Surely, there were no doubts that Safarov was the
one who committed the murder (as he himself admitted) and few doubted
that he would be found guilty. Yet Azerbaijanis also hoped that the
judge would take into consideration such factors as Safarov's personal
background as a refugee from the occupied Azerbaijani areas, the
provocations from the side of Armenian officers during the language
classes and his modest behavior during the course of investigation.
The news from Hungary prompted a very radical reaction in
Baku. Thousands of university students left their classes and
organized ad-hoc street rallies, demanding freedom and a fair trial
for Safarov. Police was totally unprepared to block such a massive
flow of people and could only observe the march. Students accused the
Hungarian court of being biased and unfair towards the Azerbaijani
officer. They claimed that a regular murder case in Hungary would
result in 8-9 years in prison, and that pressures from the Armenian
lobby and government forced the Hungarian judge to impose a much
harsher conviction.
Safarov's case also brought reactions from Azerbaijani politicians and
media. `We were not able to protect our son!' exclaimed the
Azerbaijani opposition daily Azadliq. `Making Ramil a hero, and
claiming that he embarrassed the Azerbaijani nation, are two extreme
assessments,' said Ali Kerimli, the leader of the opposition Popular
Front party.
Safarov's personal lawyer Adil Ismaylov gave a press conference in
Baku, saying that the defense side would appeal the decision in the
Courts of Appeals and would even take the case all the way to the
European Court on Human Rights until `Ramil receives a judgment that
his action and personality deserve.' Ismaylov also noted that a series
of court procedures were violated by the Hungarian judge and expressed
hope that these examples would be taken into consideration by the
Court of Appeals.
The majority of Azerbaijanis continue to consider Safarov's actions as
justified. `Armenians have occupied our lands, raped our women, killed
our children. Why doe nobody focus on that? Why does the world refuse
to talk about that? Ramil has killed an enemy and he did the right
thing,' said Tarlan Gasimov, a master's degree student at Baku State
University.
Safarov's career in the military and his various achievements in
foreign military trainings add respect to him in the eyes of the
Azerbaijani public. Finally, Safarov is widely respected for not
putting up with Armenian officer's insults and the latter's disrespect
for the Azerbaijani flag and honor. `When they [Armenian participants
of the training] were drunk in the evenings, they would make insults
towards me and my nation. I was being patient at the beginning, but
when it came to the flag, I could not take it any more,' said Ramil
Safarov in an interview to ANS-TV on the day of court decision.
Safarov's case serves as a perfect example of Azerbaijani-Armenian
relations today. Most international organizations and local NGOs
continue to note the rising frustration in Azerbaijani society over
the fruitless and deadlocked peace process. This frustration as well
as the humiliation over the loss of lands is leading to the rise of a
militaristic mood among the Azerbaijani public. Most ordinary citizens
truly believe that the negotiations will not lead to the liberation of
the occupied regions and that war is the only remaining and effective
option. Thus, Safarov's anger and revenge might be the first harbinger
of future Azerbaijani-Armenian tensions.
These issues are of special importance at the moment as Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev prepares to depart to Washington on April 26 to
meet with his American counterpart George W. Bush. It is widely
expected by the local experts that the resolution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be one of the main issues in the agenda
of bilateral talks. American diplomat Steven Mann, in charge of the
peace process, will be traveling to the region on April 20 to make
final arrangements for the `recent new proposals' made to the warring
sides. It will be hard for Azerbaijani President Aliyev to make
further painful compromises on the conflict while tensions in the
Azerbaijani society are high and Safarov's case continues to remain
the number one news in the local media.
http://www.cacianalyst.org/view_article.php?artic leid=4175