The news from Hungary prompted a very radical reaction in Baku. Thousands of university students left their classes and organized ad-hoc street rallies, demanding freedom and a fair trial for Safarov. Police was totally unprepared to block such a massive flow of people and could only observe the march. Students accused the Hungarian court of being biased and unfair towards the Azerbaijani officer. They claimed that a regular murder case in Hungary would result in 8-9 years in prison, and that pressures from the Armenian lobby and government forced the Hungarian judge to impose a much harsher conviction.

Safarov’s case also brought reactions from Azerbaijani politicians and media. “We were not able to protect our son!” exclaimed the Azerbaijani opposition daily Azadliq. “Making Ramil a hero, and claiming that he embarrassed the Azerbaijani nation, are two extreme assessments,” said Ali Kerimli, the leader of the opposition Popular Front party.

Safarov’s personal lawyer Adil Ismaylov gave a press conference in Baku, saying that the defense side would appeal the decision in the Courts of Appeals and would even take the case all the way to the European Court on Human Rights until “Ramil receives a judgment that his action and personality deserve.” Ismaylov also noted that a series of court procedures were violated by the Hungarian judge and expressed hope that these examples would be taken into consideration by the Court of Appeals.

The majority of Azerbaijanis continue to consider Safarov’s actions as justified. “Armenians have occupied our lands, raped our women, killed our children. Why doe nobody focus on that? Why does the world refuse to talk about that? Ramil has killed an enemy and he did the right thing,” said Tarlan Gasimov, a master’s degree student at Baku State University.

Safarov’s career in the military and his various achievements in foreign military trainings add respect to him in the eyes of the Azerbaijani public. Finally, Safarov is widely respected for not putting up with Armenian officer’s insults and the latter’s disrespect for the Azerbaijani flag and honor. “When they [Armenian participants of the training] were drunk in the evenings, they would make insults towards me and my nation. I was being patient at the beginning, but when it came to the flag, I could not take it any more,” said Ramil Safarov in an interview to ANS-TV on the day of court decision.

Safarov’s case serves as a perfect example of Azerbaijani-Armenian relations today. Most international organizations and local NGOs continue to note the rising frustration in Azerbaijani society over the fruitless and deadlocked peace process. This frustration as well as the humiliation over the loss of lands is leading to the rise of a militaristic mood among the Azerbaijani public. Most ordinary citizens truly believe that the negotiations will not lead to the liberation of the occupied regions and that war is the only remaining and effective option. Thus, Safarov’s anger and revenge might be the first harbinger of future Azerbaijani-Armenian tensions.

These issues are of special importance at the moment as Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev prepares to depart to Washington on April 26 to meet with his American counterpart George W. Bush. It is widely expected by the local experts that the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be one of the main issues in the agenda of bilateral talks. American diplomat Steven Mann, in charge of the peace process, will be traveling to the region on April 20 to make final arrangements for the “recent new proposals” made to the warring sides. It will be hard for Azerbaijani President Aliyev to make further painful compromises on the conflict while tensions in the Azerbaijani society are high and Safarov’s case continues to remain the number one news in the local media.