US Senator John Kerry, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, responded on Wednesday to the transfer and release of Ramil Safarov.
"Hungary recently transferred Ramil Safarov, who had been serving a life sentence for the axe murder of an Armenian soldier at an
international exercise in 2004, to Azerbaijan, with the apparent understanding that his prison term would continue. I am shocked and
appalled that Azerbaijan not only welcomed Safarov home, but pardoned, promoted, and treated him as a hero. This needlessly
provocative act endangers the fragile peace between these countries and damages the government of Azerbaijan's credibility," Kerry said.
Ramil Safarov, an Azeri officer sentenced by a Hungarian court to life in jail for brutally killing an Armenian officer in Budapest in
2004, was extradited to Azerbaijan on Aug 31 and pardoned by the Azeri President once back home.
US Senator John Kerry's statement on release of Ramil Safarov
