Gurgen Markaryan

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Gurgen Markaryan (Armenian Գուրգեն Մարգարյան) was born on September 26th, 1978 in Yerevan, Armenia. He was murdered by fellow student and Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov On February 19, 2004. His body is buried in Yerablur military cemetery.

1 Education
2 Murder
3 Armenian Response
4 Azeri Response
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Education

He received his secondary education at school #122 in Yerevan and had subsequently graduated from the State Engineering University of Armenia with a bachelor's degree in engineering. After completing his mandatory military service term, Gurgen Margaryan became an officer in the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia with the rank of lieutenant.

[edit] Murder

On January 11, 2004, he left for Budapest to participate in a three-month English language course which was part of the Partnership for Peace NATO-sponsored program. On February 19th he was axed while asleep by a fellow Azerbaijani participant Ramil Safarov. The murder occurred at 5 o'clock in the morning, while the victim was asleep. Gurgen's Hungarian roommate, Balázs Kuti, remembers that on the evening of February 18th Kuti had tea and went to bed, as he had fever, while Gurgen Margaryan kept on studying. Around 9:30 p.m. Margaryan went to visit another program participant from Armenia—Hayk Makuchyan—who was staying in another room.

Balazs does not remember when Gurgen came back, but early in the morning he felt that someone turned on the light. He thought it was Gurgen returning to the room, but after hearing some muffled sounds, he turned his head away from the wall and saw the Azerbaijani officer standing by Gurgen’s bed, with a long axe in his hands.

“

By that time I understood that something terrible had happened for there was blood all around. I started to shout at the Azerbaijani urging him to stop it. He said that had no problems with me and would not touch me, stabbed Gurgen a couple of more times and left. The expression of his face was as if he was glad he had finished something important.

”

[1]

[edit] Armenian Response

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia expresses its outrage and most vehemently condemns this crime. The Ministry expects that international organizations will assess this crime appropriately and react. At the same time, we demand that the Hungarian authorities punish the perpetrator to the maximum extent of the law.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry expresses its condolences to the family, relatives and colleagues of Lieutenant Gurgen Margarian."

[edit] Azeri Response

Many officials in Azerbaijan have publically praised the actions of Ramil Safarov. Zardusht Alizade, an Azeri political scientist, has said that Safarov "will be raised to the status of a national hero," and Elmira Suleymanova, the human rights commissioner of Azerbaijan, has stated that "Safarov must become an example of patriotism for the Azerbaijani youth."^[1] Fuad Agayev, a prominent Azeri lawyer, said that Azeris "have to urgently stop this current campaign to raise Safarov to the rank of national hero. He is no hero.”^[2]