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PACE holds hearing on extradition and pardoning of Ramil Safarov

04 October 2012 22:23 (UTC +04:00)

APAâ€™s correspondent at the Council of Europe (CE) reports that although no document, or resolution was passed on the case, there were heated discussions.

Since PACE Bureau commissioned the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights to investigate the case, chairman of the committee British MP Christopher Chope gave information about it.

Along with European and Armenian parliamentarians, members of the Azerbaijani delegation to the PACE addressed the discussions.

Cristopher Chope informed the participants about the background of the problem, murder of the Armenian officer G.Markaryan by Ramil Safarov in Budapest, where both were on a NATO exercise, his extradition and pardoning.

Giving legal assessment of the issue, Chope noted that international and Azerbaijanâ€™s legal norms enable extradition and pardoning of Ramil Safarov: "In this matter, there are only details of the overuse of law as well as things that irritate the other side" .

Though European MPs condemned Safarovâ€™s extradition and pardoning, they noted that Azerbaijan and Hungary complied with all rules and regulations of the Strasbourg Convention, and the case was within the framework of the international law.

European MPs stressed that they cared more about the moral side of the question. They stated that it may exacerbate the relations between the two conflicting countries.

It was recommended not to discuss the Safarov case in the context of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. But most of the European parliamentarians touched on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and expressed desire on the speedy resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.

Lawmakers from Hungary in their speeches said that their country does not violate international law. According to them, Hungary has taken into account the moral and humane aspect of the case. Hungarian MPs called "nonsense" the statements about the existence of any business agreements between Azerbaijan and Hungary to address Ramil Safarov case.

PACE co-rapporteur on Azerbaijan Pedro Agramunt also expressed regret over the matter. He noted that Armenia has occupied 20% of Azerbaijani lands, hundreds of thousands of people became refugees and IDPs.

More aggressive attitude was demonstrated by Armenian and French deputies. They called on PACE and the Council of Europe to apply specific sanctions againist Azerbaijan in connection with Ramil Safarov case.

Member of Azerbaijani delegation to PACE Aydin Abbasov said that Armenians intend to exert pressure on Azerbaijan by politicizing this legal issue at the Assembly. Abbasov spoke in detail about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the occupation policy of Armenia, the tragedies caused by the conflict, stressed the importance of a speedy solution to the conflict.

Other MPs from Azerbaijan and Turkey spoke about the facts of murders of Turkish diplomats and French citizens by Armenian terrorists in the last century.

It was noted that the perpetrators of these crimes, then were pardoned, grand events were organized on their arrival in Armenia, they were welcomed as heroes.

MPs from Azerbaijan stressed that it is not right to investigate the matter beyond the context of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The discussion entitled "Ramil Safarov case" held at the Assembly was included into the agenda of PACE as a current issue, no legal, non-binding document was passed by the organization.