Azernews.Az

By Araz Said, AzerNews Staff Writer

Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov convicted earlier in Hungary was transferred to his home country last Friday and shortly thereafter he was pardoned by an order of President Ilham Aliyev.

Safarov, 35, was handed down a life sentence without the right to a parole for 30 years on charges of killing Armenian serviceman Gurgen Markaryan, who insulted the Azerbaijani flag during a NATO course in Budapest in 2004. The Azerbaijani public condemned the Hungarian court's harsh sentence, which was pronounced in April 2006 after a lengthy trial.

"Triumph of courage and justice"

At the Baku airport Safarov was welcomed by senior Justice Ministry officials, journalists and family members. The presidential order was read out to Safarov.

Speaking to journalists, Safarov said he was happy to return to Azerbaijan and thanked the President, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev for signing the order to end his imprisonment.

Safarov noted that he hasn't yet made a specific decision on his future activities, but did not rule out further military service.

Deputy chairman of the ruling Yeni (New) Azerbaijan Party Ali Ahmedov told the party's website that President Ilham Aliyev's order to pardon Safarov is "a triumph of determination, courage and justice".

On Saturday, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Safar Abiyev promoted Safarov from the military rank of lieutenant to major. The Defense Ministry also awarded Safarov over eight years in back pay in addition to giving him a free apartment.

"This [did] not happen suddenly," Vilayet Guliyev, Azerbaijani ambassador to Hungary, told Radio Liberty. "We had been working on this for many months. The transfer process from beginning to end was done by order of the Azerbaijani president and implemented by the embassy."

Head of the Department on Work with Law-Enforcement Agencies of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Fuad Alasgarov said that all this time Safarov's transfer to the country has been under President Aliyev's personal supervision. "In this regard, the head of state held high-level talks, and on his orders, all the necessary measures were carried out to address this issue," Alasgarov added.

Armenia unhappy

The Hungarian move has infuriated Armenia, which is still engaged in a conflict with Azerbaijan and whose president quickly pressed for an "appropriate response" to Safarov's transfer.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan followed up by saying Yerevan was suspending diplomatic relations and all official contacts with Budapest.

Sargsyan also ordered Armenian forces on a high alert after Safarov's handover.

Hundreds of people protested outside the Hungarian consulate in Yerevan early on Saturday, burning the Hungarian flag and throwing eggs, tomatoes, and coins.

European Union and NATO member Hungary said earlier last Friday that its decision to send Safarov back to Azerbaijan was based on the European Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons. Budapest said Safarov was repatriated only after receiving assurances from the Azerbaijani Justice Ministry that his sentence would be enforced.

Hungary's government condemned Azerbaijan on Sunday over the release of the military officer.

The EU calls on the authorities of Azerbaijan and Armenia to prevent the escalation of tensions in bilateral relations as a result of Safarov's extradition to Azerbaijan, said Maja Kocijancic, a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

"We call on Azerbaijan and Armenia to show restraint in their public statements to prevent any kind of escalation of the situation," Kocijancic told reporters in Brussels, Russian RIA Novosti news agency reported.

She said that the EU, in particular, is concerned about the possible impact that the current situation could have on the region of the South Caucasus as a whole.

Safarov's pardon also prompted questions by the United States. U.S. President Barack Obama's administration has demanded an explanation from Hungary and expressed "deep concern" at the development, which it suggests could complicate efforts to maintain stability and security in the region.

Legal aspects of pardon

Presidential Administration official Fuad Alasgarov told local media that Safarov was pardoned in line with the Constitution and laws of Azerbaijan, and the European Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons. "The Convention provides that each Party may grant pardon, amnesty or commutation of the sentence in accordance with its Constitution or other laws. Both Hungary and the Republic of Azerbaijan fully complied with the European Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons when dealing with Safarov's transfer," Alasgarov said.

According to Alasgarov, Safarov has served more than eight years of his sentence and in accordance with a relevant article of Azerbaijan's Constitution his pardon is an exclusive right of President Ilham Aliyev, who showed great humanism and exercised these powers.

Azerbaijan acceded to the mentioned European convention in 2000.

Public support

According to Milli.az website, upon Safarov's arrival in Baku thousands of people took to the streets and celebrated his pardoning by President Aliyev. They chanted "Ramil, we are proud of you" while dozens of cars drove through the streets with horns, flags of Azerbaijan and portraits of Safarov.

A big support campaign for Safarov started after the disputes on alleged illegality of his pardoning fired up.

Together with the Facebook page in support for Safarov, a page was dedicated to him in the free online encyclopedia Wikipedia. The page contains information about the life and service of the Azerbaijani army officer, the story of his jailing in Budapest, as well as public reaction to his release.