Viktor Orbán has lost the elections after 16 years in power, bringing renewed attention to one of the most controversial decisions of his tenure, the 2012 extradition of Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov.
Safarov had been convicted in Hungary for the brutal murder of Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan. Margaryan, who served in Armenia’s Armed Forces and later the Ministry of Defense, had traveled to Hungary in 2004 to participate in NATO’s Partnership for Peace English language training program. On the night of February 19, while asleep in his dormitory, he was attacked by Safarov, who struck him repeatedly with an axe, nearly decapitating him. He was later buried at Yerablur military pantheon in Yerevan.
Hungarian courts sentenced Safarov to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for 30 years. However, on August 31, 2012, he was extradited to Azerbaijan under assurances that he would continue serving his sentence.
Upon arrival in Baku, Safarov was immediately pardoned, promoted, and publicly honored. Armenia responded by severing diplomatic relations with Hungary the same day.
The case drew further controversy in 2017, when Hungarian investigative journalists reported evidence of a $7 million payment from Azerbaijan to a Hungarian bank account around the time of the extradition.
@AegeanAirlines – Our bags were robbed in transit, likely during a 7h layover in Athens. No broken zippers or locks, but items stolen: clothes, shoes, ceramics, meds, electronics. 3 booking codes, 13 bags. No response yet. #AegeanAirlines#BaggageTheft#AirportSecurity”
Le Président de la République Emmanuel Macron, à la tribune de l'Assemblée générale des Nations Unies.
➡️ La France se tient fermement au côté de l'Arménie face aux pressions de l'Azerbaïdjan et aux tensions territoriales.
President @EmmanuelMacron
➡️ If you look at the past decade, it seems that Azerbaijan did equip itself much more than Armenia. And if my memory is right, but correct me if I am wrong, Azerbaijan did launch a war, and a terrible one, in 2020.
#Azerbaijan is using #Cop29 to whitewash Aliyev's regime, to hide ethnic cleansing in Karabakh. And it works
Journalists refused entry to Azerbaijan energy conference ahead of Cop29 https://t.co/HDjoYn9EDj