Date: 10-11-2005
Source: AZG
Author:


During the Sept 27 hearing of the Budapest Feb 19 2004 murder of Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan by his Azeri counterpart Ramil Safarov the Armenian side petitioned the court to requalify the crime into genocide. No decision has been passed yet.

The lawyer of Margaryan's family Nazeli Vardanyan says that she also petitioned to recognize the second Azeri officer Anar Aliev as accomplice in the crime. Aliev was again absent from the court. Vardanyan says that once again Safarov was very incoherent and contradictory during his testimony. The court heard for the second time the testimony of the second Armenian officer Hayk Makuchyan whom Safarov nearly killed and who was recognized an aggrieved party during the previous hearing.

The court focused on the results of the two medical examinations of Safarov - the first examination found him sane, the second not fully sane. The second expert failed to substantiate his findings. Vardanyan says that Safarov might have been specially instructed before the second examination or the Azeri side might have made arrangement with the experts. So the court decided to hold one more examination.

Vardanyan says that there is no sense in changing the Hungarian lawyer of Margaryan's family and Mukuchyan. She notes that there has been progress since the Sept hearing and the trial is beginning to turn against Safarov. The next hearing is scheduled for Dec 15 and the verdict may well be passed quite soon