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PAUL KREKORIAN DECRIES SAFAROV EXTRADITION IN LETTER TO HUNGARIAN CONSUL
asbarez
Thursday, September 6th, 2012
LA City Councilman Paul Krekorian
LOS ANGELES-Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian on Wednesday
sent a letter to Laszlo Kalman, Hunngary's Consul General to Los
Angeles decrying the latter's government for extraditing Ramil Safarov
to Baku.
Safarov, who was serving a life sentence in Budapest for the killing
an Armenian soldier Gurgen Markarian with an axe in 2004, was pardoned
upon arriving in Baku by Azeri president Ilham Aliyev last week. He
was also promoted to a rank of general in the army.
Below is the text of Krekorian letter, which was also copied to
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio
Villaraigosa, members of the LA City Council and Armenia's Consul
General to Los Angeles, Grigor Hovannesian.
Dear Mr. Kalman:
I join the Armenian-American community of Los Angeles in expressing my
shock and anger over the Azerbaijani government's outrageous pardon
of Ramil Safarov - a convicted murderer who was found guilty in a
Hungarian court of savagely killing an Armenian lieutenant, Gurgen
Markarian, with an ax as the victim slept. Moreover, I am bewildered
by the Hungarian government's inexplicable decision to allow these
circumstances to take place by extraditing this murderer to his home
country, especially since his home country has a long and demonstrated
policy of supporting hatred and violence toward Armenians.
By pardoning Safarov, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev has once
more demonstrated to the world his devotion to intolerance, hate and
division, not peace and understanding. By providing Safarov a hero's
welcome in Baku, and promoting his military rank, Mr. Aliyev and his
government have sent a clear and despicable message to the country's
population and to the international community: in Azerbaijan,
the murder of Armenians is not only tolerated, it is encouraged,
celebrated and rewarded.
As the first Armenian-American elected official in the history of the
City of Los Angeles, and as the descendant of Armenian immigrants
who fled genocide, I am repulsed by the actions of the Azerbaijani
government and I am stunned by Hungary's role in facilitating them. On
behalf of the Armenian-American community of Los Angeles, and all
Angelenos who care about justice, I therefore call on the Hungarian
government to provide a full explanation of its decision to release
this murderer to a regime that continues to demonstrate pride in
its own inhumanity. I invite you to contact me directly at (213)
473-7002 so that we can meet in person to discuss your government's
actions in this case.
The Hungarian people have a long and proud history of standing
courageously for freedom and justice, and sadly, they have too often
suffered the tragic and violent consequences of intolerance, oppression
and tyranny. I certainly would have hoped that that history would guide
your government's actions with regard to the extradition of a barbaric
murderer, convicted of a vicious hate crime, to a nation as bellicose
as Azerbaijan. I hope that in the aftermath of these circumstances
your government will stand firm in your commitment to human rights
and justice, and that you will clearly condemn Azerbaijan's horrific
actions in freeing and lionizing this savage murderer.
I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.
Very truly yours, PAUL KREKORIAN Councilmember, 2nd District
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
asbarez
Thursday, September 6th, 2012
LA City Councilman Paul Krekorian
LOS ANGELES-Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian on Wednesday
sent a letter to Laszlo Kalman, Hunngary's Consul General to Los
Angeles decrying the latter's government for extraditing Ramil Safarov
to Baku.
Safarov, who was serving a life sentence in Budapest for the killing
an Armenian soldier Gurgen Markarian with an axe in 2004, was pardoned
upon arriving in Baku by Azeri president Ilham Aliyev last week. He
was also promoted to a rank of general in the army.
Below is the text of Krekorian letter, which was also copied to
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio
Villaraigosa, members of the LA City Council and Armenia's Consul
General to Los Angeles, Grigor Hovannesian.
Dear Mr. Kalman:
I join the Armenian-American community of Los Angeles in expressing my
shock and anger over the Azerbaijani government's outrageous pardon
of Ramil Safarov - a convicted murderer who was found guilty in a
Hungarian court of savagely killing an Armenian lieutenant, Gurgen
Markarian, with an ax as the victim slept. Moreover, I am bewildered
by the Hungarian government's inexplicable decision to allow these
circumstances to take place by extraditing this murderer to his home
country, especially since his home country has a long and demonstrated
policy of supporting hatred and violence toward Armenians.
By pardoning Safarov, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev has once
more demonstrated to the world his devotion to intolerance, hate and
division, not peace and understanding. By providing Safarov a hero's
welcome in Baku, and promoting his military rank, Mr. Aliyev and his
government have sent a clear and despicable message to the country's
population and to the international community: in Azerbaijan,
the murder of Armenians is not only tolerated, it is encouraged,
celebrated and rewarded.
As the first Armenian-American elected official in the history of the
City of Los Angeles, and as the descendant of Armenian immigrants
who fled genocide, I am repulsed by the actions of the Azerbaijani
government and I am stunned by Hungary's role in facilitating them. On
behalf of the Armenian-American community of Los Angeles, and all
Angelenos who care about justice, I therefore call on the Hungarian
government to provide a full explanation of its decision to release
this murderer to a regime that continues to demonstrate pride in
its own inhumanity. I invite you to contact me directly at (213)
473-7002 so that we can meet in person to discuss your government's
actions in this case.
The Hungarian people have a long and proud history of standing
courageously for freedom and justice, and sadly, they have too often
suffered the tragic and violent consequences of intolerance, oppression
and tyranny. I certainly would have hoped that that history would guide
your government's actions with regard to the extradition of a barbaric
murderer, convicted of a vicious hate crime, to a nation as bellicose
as Azerbaijan. I hope that in the aftermath of these circumstances
your government will stand firm in your commitment to human rights
and justice, and that you will clearly condemn Azerbaijan's horrific
actions in freeing and lionizing this savage murderer.
I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.
Very truly yours, PAUL KREKORIAN Councilmember, 2nd District
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress