The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has announced the verdict of "Makuchyan and Minasyan v. Azerbaijan and Hungary" case on RA Armed Forces officer Gurgen Margaryan murder.
The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Azerbaijan violated Article 2 (Right to life) of the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as Article 14 (Prohibition of Discrimination).
The verdict states that Azerbaijan unjustifiably failed to secure the imprisonment of the officer who committed a crime on the grounds of ethnic hatred, and then was pardoned and promoted. Azerbaijan has not been able to refute the alleged allegations of discrimination.
Azerbaijan must pay applicants 15,143 pound sterling for expenses incurred. The European Court of Human Rights has not registered any violations related to Hungary.
According to the verdict, the case concerns the murderer officer convicted in Hungary. After his transfer to Azerbaijan Safarov was to serve there the rest of his sentence. But the pardon was granted to him by the president of Azerbaijan.
The application was submitted to the ECHR by two Armenian citizens, Hayk Makuchyan (born in 1975), Samvel Minasyan (born in 1958, now deceased).
Gurgen Margaryan, a participant of NATO training courses, in 2004 was axed and killed by azerbaijani participant, officer Ramil Safarov while was sleeping at night. A Hungarian court sentenced Safarov to life in prison, but he was returned to Azerbaijan a few years later, where the murderer was released and glorified.
