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Protesters in Hungary Ask Forgiveness Over Extradition
By Gergo Racz
Wall Street Journal
Sept 5 2012
A crowd of about 1,500 people gathered late Tuesday in Budapest and
asked for Armenia's forgiveness in the extradition of an Azerbaijani
man, who had been convicted of murder but was later pardoned and
decorated upon his return home.
Hungary remains in the center of stoked historic animosity between
the two Caucasian countries after the surprise extradition Friday
of Ramil Sahib Safarov, an Azerbaijani national who was convicted
of murdering Armenian Gurgen Margarjan in Budapest in 2004. The two
men had participated in a NATO-backed training course. During that
time, Mr.
Safarov used an ax to decapitate Mr. Margarjan in his sleep and had
planned to assault another Armenian, the criminal investigation found.
Armenia was outraged by the extradition and severed all diplomatic
ties with Hungary after news of Mr. Safarov's pardoning Friday.
Speakers at the event organized by the civil liberties group
Milla - derived from One Million Strong for the Freedom of the
Press - condemned Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government for its
participation in freeing Mr. Safarov. They asked the Armenian people
for forgiveness and called on the government to step down after
"shaming" the country.
Several participants at the rally carried photographs of the late Mr.
Margarjan as well as billboards condemning the government's actions
in the extradition.
Hungary gave no prior public indication that it was planning to hand
over Mr. Safarov to Baku after he received a life sentence from a
Hungarian court. Government officials later condemned Azerbaijan
for its decision to pardon him and stressed that Hungary acted in
good faith and conducted the transfer transparently and in line with
international law.
This didn't quell the anger Armenians felt over the matter, leading to
protests world-wide near Hungarian diplomatic units and the burning
of Hungarian flags. President Serzh Sargsyan urged fellow Armenians
not to abuse Hungary's national banner, saying it was a symbol of
the people and not the country's prime minister.
"For many years we have been on friendly terms. Many Armenians have
given their lives for the sake of Hungary's freedom and independence,"
Mr. Sargsyan was quoted as saying by the Arminfo Armenian news agency.
"So, a mean act by one person or a party must not be allowed to
provoke our hostility towards the Hungarians. Of course, it is our
duty to protest, but we must not betray our values."
http://blogs.wsj.com/emergingeurope/2012/09/05/protesters-in-hungary-ask-forgiveness-over-extradition/?mod=google_news_blog
From: A. Papazian
By Gergo Racz
Wall Street Journal
Sept 5 2012
A crowd of about 1,500 people gathered late Tuesday in Budapest and
asked for Armenia's forgiveness in the extradition of an Azerbaijani
man, who had been convicted of murder but was later pardoned and
decorated upon his return home.
Hungary remains in the center of stoked historic animosity between
the two Caucasian countries after the surprise extradition Friday
of Ramil Sahib Safarov, an Azerbaijani national who was convicted
of murdering Armenian Gurgen Margarjan in Budapest in 2004. The two
men had participated in a NATO-backed training course. During that
time, Mr.
Safarov used an ax to decapitate Mr. Margarjan in his sleep and had
planned to assault another Armenian, the criminal investigation found.
Armenia was outraged by the extradition and severed all diplomatic
ties with Hungary after news of Mr. Safarov's pardoning Friday.
Speakers at the event organized by the civil liberties group
Milla - derived from One Million Strong for the Freedom of the
Press - condemned Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government for its
participation in freeing Mr. Safarov. They asked the Armenian people
for forgiveness and called on the government to step down after
"shaming" the country.
Several participants at the rally carried photographs of the late Mr.
Margarjan as well as billboards condemning the government's actions
in the extradition.
Hungary gave no prior public indication that it was planning to hand
over Mr. Safarov to Baku after he received a life sentence from a
Hungarian court. Government officials later condemned Azerbaijan
for its decision to pardon him and stressed that Hungary acted in
good faith and conducted the transfer transparently and in line with
international law.
This didn't quell the anger Armenians felt over the matter, leading to
protests world-wide near Hungarian diplomatic units and the burning
of Hungarian flags. President Serzh Sargsyan urged fellow Armenians
not to abuse Hungary's national banner, saying it was a symbol of
the people and not the country's prime minister.
"For many years we have been on friendly terms. Many Armenians have
given their lives for the sake of Hungary's freedom and independence,"
Mr. Sargsyan was quoted as saying by the Arminfo Armenian news agency.
"So, a mean act by one person or a party must not be allowed to
provoke our hostility towards the Hungarians. Of course, it is our
duty to protest, but we must not betray our values."
http://blogs.wsj.com/emergingeurope/2012/09/05/protesters-in-hungary-ask-forgiveness-over-extradition/?mod=google_news_blog
From: A. Papazian