“Welcome to Armenia, You Can Sleep Safely Here”: Armenian Football Fans Send Message to Hungary’s Team 20 Years After Gurgen Margaryan’s Murder

Armenian football fans in Yerevan displayed a powerful banner reading “Welcome to Armenia. Here you can sleep safely” as they greeted Hungary’s national football team ahead of the Armenia–Hungary World Cup 2026 qualifying match.

The message was not random. It carried deep historical and emotional weight — a reminder of one of the most horrifying hate crimes committed against an Armenian soldier in Hungary two decades ago.

On February 19, 2004, Armenian Army Lieutenant Gurgen Margaryan was murdered in his sleep in Budapest by Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov. Both men were participants in a NATO “Partnership for Peace” training program designed to promote cooperation between different countries. That night, Safarov entered Margaryan’s room with an axe and brutally killed him while he slept.

Hungarian police confirmed that Margaryan was struck multiple times in the face and chest. The attack was so severe that his head was almost severed. Safarov later admitted that his only motive was that Margaryan was Armenian. He also attempted to kill another Armenian participant, Hayk Makuchyan, but was prevented when the door was locked.

Safarov was sentenced to life imprisonment in Hungary, with no chance of parole until 2036. However, in 2012, Hungary extradited him to Azerbaijan, claiming he would serve the remainder of his sentence there. Instead, upon arrival in Baku, Safarov was welcomed as a national hero, pardoned by President Ilham Aliyev, promoted to major, given a salary for the years he spent in prison, and rewarded with a new apartment.

This act of glorification shocked the world. Armenia immediately suspended diplomatic relations with Hungary, accusing both Hungary and Azerbaijan of encouraging ethnic hatred and disrespecting justice.

Years later, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled in the Makuchyan and Minasyan v. Azerbaijan and Hungary case that Azerbaijan had violated the right to life and promoted racial hatred by glorifying Safarov. Hungary, while cleared of most responsibility, was criticized for not ensuring Safarov’s punishment would continue after extradition.

But Azerbaijan has still not complied with the court’s ruling. Safarov continues to enjoy public honors, and Azerbaijani authorities have refused to retract official statements celebrating him.

In June this year, the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers issued an interim resolution against Azerbaijan for ignoring the ECHR decision. The resolution condemned Baku’s failure to act and warned that Azerbaijan’s membership in the Council of Europe could be suspended if it continues to defy the ruling.

Siranush Sahakyan, the attorney representing the Margaryan family at the European Court of Human Rights, explained that Azerbaijan’s defiance shows a broader pattern of ignoring international law when it concerns Armenians. The interim resolution, she said, is an “exceptional measure” meant to pressure Azerbaijan into finally acknowledging and correcting its violations.

For Armenians, the memory of Gurgen Margaryan’s murder remains deeply painful. His death is not only seen as a personal tragedy but as a symbol of anti-Armenian hatred that continues to shape Azerbaijan’s policies today.

That is why, when Hungary’s football team arrived in Yerevan, local fans chose to remind them — and the world — of what happened in Budapest 20 years ago. Their banner, “Welcome to Armenia. Here you can sleep safely,” carried both a message of peace and a quiet accusation.

It was a way to honor Gurgen Margaryan’s memory, to remind the international community of unpunished injustice, and to assert Armenia’s moral contrast: a nation where even former enemies can rest safely — something Gurgen Margaryan was denied.

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