Today is the anniversary of Gurgen Margaryan's brutal murder.
On February 19, 2004, Armenian Armed Forces officer Gurgen Margaryan was axed to death while sleeping by Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov in Budapest.
This monstrous crime took place in the center of Europe, where the two officers were taking an English course under NATO's Partnership for Peace program.
Hungarian authorities sentenced the killer to life imprisonment without the right to pardon for 30 years. The verdict was announced on April 3, 2006.
But a few years later, Hungarian authorities made a deal with the Azerbaijani authorities, Safarov was returned to his homeland, where he was immediately released and awarded the title of “hero.” On the same day, on August 31, 2012, Armenia suspended diplomatic relations with Hungary.
