European Commissioner concerned about the pardon of Azerbaijani army officer convicted of murder

The Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muižnieks, expressed his deep concerns on Tuesday about Azerbaijan’s decision to pardon and honour Ramil Safarov, an Azerbaijani army officer who in 2004 brutally murdered an Armenian officer, Gurgen Margaryan, the Council of Europe official website informs.

“Racist crimes must not go unpunished. Violent offences motivated by bias, such as racial or inter-ethnic hatred, are a particularly pernicious form of criminality. Apart from the destructive effects on the victims and those close to them, they can be devastating to whole communities and unravel the very fabric of society. States are under an obligation to apply strongly dissuasive sanctions against those who have perpetrated bias-motivated crimes," the statement says.