Ramil Safarov - Budapest Murder

Budapest Murder

In January 2004, the 26-year-old Ramil Safarov, along with another officer from Azerbaijan, went to Budapest (Hungary), to participate in the three-month English language courses, organized by NATO's Partnership for Peace program for military personnel from different countries. Two Armenian officers, a 25-year old Gurgen Margaryan and Hayk Makuchyan, also participated in this program.

On the evening of February 18, Safarov bought an axe and a honing stone near Tesco, at the Ferenc Puskás Stadium. He took them in the bag to his dormitory room at the Zrinyi Miklos National Defence University, where all the course participants were staying. Safarov's roommate had returned his native Ukraine to attend the funerals of his relatives and so nobody interrupted Safarov as he sharpened the axe in his room. At around 5:00 am on February 19 Safarov took the axe and went to Margaryan's room, which he was sharing with his Hungarian roommate, Balázs Kuti. The door of their room was not locked. Safarov attacked Margaryan as he was sleeping with the axe and delivered 16 blows to his body, which almost severed Margaryan’s head. The noises woke up Kuti, who was shocked by the scene and cried for Safarov to stop, but was too scared to confront him. According to Kuti, Safarov had "such an expression on his face as if he had completed something important well enough."

Afterward, Safarov headed for the room of Makuchyan, the other Armenian student, with the intention of also attacking him, but found his door locked. He shouted out Makuchyan’s name. The half-sleeping Makuchyan wanted to open the door, but his Lithuanian roommate stopped him and called his compatriot next door to check what was going on. Safarov then attempted to break the door with the axe, but, by this time, the students in the neighboring rooms already woke up, went out to the corridor and tried to persuade him to stop. Soon after, the Hungarian police, which was summoned by Balázs Kuti, arrived and arrested Safarov at the scene.