“GEGHARD”
SCIENTIFIC ANALYTICAL
FOUNDATION
2025
2025
Anti-Armenian sentiment in Azerbaijan is a policy promoted at the state level. In this context, hatred towards Armenians is systematically generated, and killing Armenians is encouraged. Individuals who have killed Armenians under various circumstances are portrayed as heroes and awarded the highest honors, including the national hero. Such individuals include Ramil Safarov, Mubariz Ibrahimov, Chingiz Gurbanov, among others.
In February 2004, in Budapest, Hungary, Azerbaijani Armed Forces officer Ramil Safarov axed Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan to death while he was sleeping. Margaryan and Safarov were attending English language courses at Hungary’s National University of Defense as part of NATO’s "Partnership for Peace" program.
Hungarian officer Kuti Balazs, who shared the room with the Armenian officer, recounted: "There was blood everywhere. I started shouting for the Azerbaijani to stop. He said he had no issue with me and wouldn’t harm me. His expression was joyful, as if he had completed an important task. I was in shock and ran out to call for help. Ramil went in a different direction."
Safarov had also intended to kill the other Armenian attending the courses, Hayk Mukuchyan, but failed because Mukuchyan's room door was locked. In a later interview, Mukuchyan mentioned that in Safarov's initial statements, he had declared: "I don’t care who it is, as long as they are Armenian. I want to kill an Armenian."
Budapest police major Walter Fulop described Safarov's act as a murder of "exceptional brutality." "We call it 'exceptional brutality' because, in addition to numerous stab wounds in the chest area, the victim's head was cut from the body," Fulop stated.
In Hungary, Safarov was sentenced to life imprisonment, with no possibility of parole for 30 years. However, in 2012, Hungary extradited Safarov, reportedly in exchange for $7 million. On the same day he returned to Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev granted him a pardon, and he was hailed as a hero in his homeland. The glorification process intensified upon his return; Safarov was awarded eight years' salary, promoted in rank, and provided with an apartment. His rank continued to be elevated in subsequent years of service. During this period, Safarov's wife also advanced professionally, becoming an advisor to the rector of Baku State University. She even attempted to run for parliament in the 2024 snap parliamentary elections.
Polls vividly demonstrate that Azerbaijani public perceives Safarov, who killed a sleeping Armenian, a hero. Phrases like "naturally, Ramil Safarov is Azerbaijan's pride," "a patriotic hero," and "a hero; long live heroes like him" are commonly used by Azerbaijanis when referring to Safarov. Azerbaijani social media is also full of posts glorifying him.
In Safarov's case, Azerbaijani authorities, concerned about their international reputation, refrained from officially awarding him the title of national hero. However, the situation is different for another killer, Mubariz Ibrahimov, who has been officially granted this honor.
On June 18, 2010, Mubariz Ibrahimov engaged in a confrontation with servicemen of the Artsakh Defense Army near the village of Chaylu in the northwestern part of the Republic of Artsakh. This clash resulted in the deaths of four Defense Army soldiers and injuries to four others. Ibrahimov was neutralized during the incident, and his body remained on the Armenian side for several months.
To retrieve Ibrahimov's body, Azerbaijan sent sabotage groups, but these attempts were unsuccessful. One of the groups was led by Senior Lieutenant Farid Ahmedov, who was also neutralized, and his body remained on the Armenian side as well. The bodies of Ibrahimov and Ahmedov were eventually returned to Azerbaijan in November, where both were buried with ceremonies and shows.
Before the bodies were returned, on July 22, the Aliyev posthumously awarded Mubariz Ibrahimov the title of Azerbaijan's National Hero. Farid Ahmedov was honored with the "Medal for Bravery."
After Mubariz Ibrahimov's death, Azerbaijan promoted military legends around his name, encouraging others to emulate his actions. His character has been so exaggerated that still stories are told that he fought alone for five hours, killed dozens of Armenian soldiers, and raised the Azerbaijani flag at the Armenian position. In his honor, statues have been erected, novels and poems have been written, and streets, kindergardens, educational and sports institutions, as well as military equipment, have been named after him. Ibrahimov was also declared the "Person of the year" for 2010. This process has extended to Turkey, where tanks have been named after him, TV programs dedicated to him have aired, and he was even mentioned in a popular series. In 2022, with the support of Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Youth and Sports, an animated film about Mubariz Ibrahimov was produced in Turkey. To this day, the process of shaping his image as an "exemplary patriot" continues.
The approach used in Mubariz Ibrahimov's case was repeated by Azerbaijani authorities in later instances. In late December 2016, Azerbaijani soldier Chingiz Gurbanov infiltrated the village of Chinari in the Tavush region. During a skirmish with the Armenian forces, he was killed, and three Armenian soldiers lost their lives. Gurbanov's body was handed to Azerbaijan in January 2017. Aliyev posthumously awarded him the title of National Hero, and the process of heroization was applied once again.
In 2023, two Azerbaijani soldiers infiltrated Armenia from Nakhijevan. One of them, Hussein Akhundov, who had killed a guard at the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine, posted a video from Syunik, where he stated: "We have shed Armenian blood. We have beheaded 400-500 Armenians. And now we are still alive. We haven’t died. Even if we die, let us be honored." These words from the soldier are a clear indication of heroization in Azerbaijan, and, as per tradition, after being handed over, these soldiers were welcomed as heroes upon their return to Azerbaijan.
A similar scenario occurred with Kamil Zeynali, a war criminal from the 44-day war who stood out for his exceptional brutality against Armenian civilians. In February 2024, Zeynali was arrested in Moscow. Through the intervention of Azerbaijani authorities, he was released and returned to Baku. Upon his return, he was welcomed as a hero, once again proving that in Azerbaijan, such crimes against Armenians are not only unpunished but, on the contrary, are encouraged.
Encouraging and glorifying killings of Armenians has also been documented in Azerbaijani media, where there is enthusiastic coverage of those military criminals who have beheaded Armenians.
Cartoon by Kissa