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THE U.S. SHOULD BACK OFF ITS CRITICISM OF AZERBAIJAN'S HANDLING OF THE SAFAROV CASE
Baltimore Sun
Sept 10 2012
It is not clear why the Obama administration and its allies in
Congress decided to express their misplaced "concern" regarding
Hungary's extradition of Lt. Ramil Safarov to his native Azerbaijan
("Ax murderer's homecoming stokes Caucasus feud," Sept. 7).
It is not our place to tell two sovereign nations, which happen to
be our allies, how they should carry out justice in their countries.
After all, we keep Guantanamo Bay open, refuse to join the
International Criminal Court and limit the jurisdiction of the
International Court of Justice at The Hague, among other things.
As a child, Mr. Safarov was ethnically cleansed by the Armenian army
from the Khojaly region of Azerbaijan. He suffered great violence,
persecution and horrors during the Armenian occupation of his country.
Two of his relatives were massacred by the Armenian army in front
of him.
So when he engaged in a deadly fight with an Armenian military officer
it was against someone who represented everything that's wrong with
today's world.
The Obama administration and Congress should instead take the
courageous step of officially recognizing the Azerbaijani Genocide
and the Khojaly Massacre - the biggest crime against humanity in the
entire Caucasus during the second half of the 20th century.
That would assure that U.S. foreign policy has not been hijacked by
the Armenian special interests that are bankrolling the statements
of the Obama administration and Congress this election year.
Emil Israfilbek, Owings Mills
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/readersrespond/bs-ed-armenia-dispute-20120910,0,7130825.story
From: A. Papazian
Baltimore Sun
Sept 10 2012
It is not clear why the Obama administration and its allies in
Congress decided to express their misplaced "concern" regarding
Hungary's extradition of Lt. Ramil Safarov to his native Azerbaijan
("Ax murderer's homecoming stokes Caucasus feud," Sept. 7).
It is not our place to tell two sovereign nations, which happen to
be our allies, how they should carry out justice in their countries.
After all, we keep Guantanamo Bay open, refuse to join the
International Criminal Court and limit the jurisdiction of the
International Court of Justice at The Hague, among other things.
As a child, Mr. Safarov was ethnically cleansed by the Armenian army
from the Khojaly region of Azerbaijan. He suffered great violence,
persecution and horrors during the Armenian occupation of his country.
Two of his relatives were massacred by the Armenian army in front
of him.
So when he engaged in a deadly fight with an Armenian military officer
it was against someone who represented everything that's wrong with
today's world.
The Obama administration and Congress should instead take the
courageous step of officially recognizing the Azerbaijani Genocide
and the Khojaly Massacre - the biggest crime against humanity in the
entire Caucasus during the second half of the 20th century.
That would assure that U.S. foreign policy has not been hijacked by
the Armenian special interests that are bankrolling the statements
of the Obama administration and Congress this election year.
Emil Israfilbek, Owings Mills
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/readersrespond/bs-ed-armenia-dispute-20120910,0,7130825.story
From: A. Papazian