Scandal bursts around Safarov's photo in Azerbaijan

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Serious scandal burst in Azerbaijan, when an employee of Gafgazinfo.az news website took photos of Ramil Safarov in the Central Hospital of Baku and posted his pictures in the website. It has been a long time since Ramil Safarov was hiding from the society.

After Ramil Safarov, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in Hungary for murdering Armenian army lieutenant Gourgen Margaryan with an axe at night, extradited to Azerbaijan and pardoned by the Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev, did not appear in the public for "security reasons". Ramil Safarov, accompanied by two bodyguards, visited the hospital to say last farewell to his deceased friend.

After the website published the picture, Safarov’s brother phoned the editor of the site Elbrus Erud, caused a scandal, called him a "spy" and complained to the Ministry of National Security for providing improper security level for the national "hero" of Azerbaijan. This behavior enraged editor of the site and Elbrus Erud published an open letter in their website addressed to Ramil Safarov, where he accused Safarov's brother of ill-breeding and imprudence.

In the letter Erud states: "When those organizations, formed for your protection, froze their activity, we didn’t keep silence. When I tried to learn the opinion of the officials about you, they calmly replied: "Forget about Ramil’s case." Also the editor confesses that a number of politicians, parliamentarians, businessmen, who considered him to be hero, promoted Safarov to become a hero. Erud writes: "I believe that in Hungary you acted like a glorious Turkish warrior. Ramil Safarov is one of the triumphs of the current government and particularly Ilham Aliyev's." Elbrus Erud writes that in response for supporting and protecting Safarov, he became a victim of the shocking behavior of the family members of the Azerbaijani "hero".

Criminal Ramil Safarov was sentenced to life imprisonment in Hungary for murdering Armenian army lieutenant Gourgen Margarine with an axe. He was extradited to Azerbaijan on August 31, 2012, where he was pardoned by Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliev the day he arrived to Azerbaijan.