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ITAR-TASS, Russia
September 7, 2012 Friday 04:13 PM GMT+4
Office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights condemns pardon of
Azerbaijan's Safarov
GENEVA September 7
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the
Azerbaijani president's decision to pardon officer Ramil Safarov and
urged Baku to be guided with international standards in the Safarov
case.
The Office spokesman said that international standards of
responsibility for serious crimes must be applied, ethnically
motivated crimes must be condemned and their perpetrators must be
punished instead of being lauded by politicians.
He also said the Office fully shared the opinion of OSCE member states
and the OSCE Minsk Group, which had expressed fears that the pardon
and attempts to acclaim Safarov would harm the Karabakh peace process
and Azerbaijani-Armenian confidence.
Senior Lieutenant Safarov killed Armenian serviceman Gurgen Markarian
when both were studying at NATO courses in Budapest in 2004 allegedly
for defiling the Azerbaijani flag. A Budapest court sentenced him to
life in jail in April 2006. Late last week Safarov was extradited from
Hungary and pardoned by the Azerbaijani president.
September 7, 2012 Friday 04:13 PM GMT+4
Office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights condemns pardon of
Azerbaijan's Safarov
GENEVA September 7
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the
Azerbaijani president's decision to pardon officer Ramil Safarov and
urged Baku to be guided with international standards in the Safarov
case.
The Office spokesman said that international standards of
responsibility for serious crimes must be applied, ethnically
motivated crimes must be condemned and their perpetrators must be
punished instead of being lauded by politicians.
He also said the Office fully shared the opinion of OSCE member states
and the OSCE Minsk Group, which had expressed fears that the pardon
and attempts to acclaim Safarov would harm the Karabakh peace process
and Azerbaijani-Armenian confidence.
Senior Lieutenant Safarov killed Armenian serviceman Gurgen Markarian
when both were studying at NATO courses in Budapest in 2004 allegedly
for defiling the Azerbaijani flag. A Budapest court sentenced him to
life in jail in April 2006. Late last week Safarov was extradited from
Hungary and pardoned by the Azerbaijani president.