Release of an Arzebaijani soldier who killed an Armenian causes concern
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Rupert Colville, UN Human Rights spokesperson
The pardoning of an Azerbaijani soldier who killed an Armenian officer during a NATO training course in 2004 is causing concern at the United Nations.
Last week Ramil Safarov was extradited to Baku from Hungary, where he had been serving a life sentence for the murder of Gurgen Margaryan.
UN human rights spokesperson Rupert Colville says Safarov waited until the participants in the programme were asleep and then went into Margaryan's room and killed him with an axe, almost decapitating him.
"The crime was very clearly and, by his own confession, ethnically motivated. International standards regarding accountability for serious crimes should be upheld. Ethnically motivated hate crimes of this gravity should be deplored and properly punished – not publicly glorified by leaders and politicians because he was released, he went back to Azerbaijan. He was pardoned by the president and he was promoted, exactly the opposite to what was expected which was that he would continue his sentence." (Duration: 28")
