Armenian protesters torch Hungarian flag

September 01, 2012

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Demonstrators in the capital of Armenia have set a Hungarian flag on fire to protest Hungary's decision to repatriate an Azerbaijani military officer who murdered an Armenian soldier in 2004.

The officer was pardoned shortly after returning to his homeland of Azerbaijan on Friday. He had been sentenced to life for killing the Armenian while both were attending a NATO course in Hungary. Hours later, President Serge Sarkisian of Armenia announced it was breaking diplomatic relations with Hungary.

Tensions are strong between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, a region of Azerbaijan that has been under the control of Armenian troops and ethnic Armenian forces since 1994. About 150 demonstrators gathered in Yerevan Saturday to set the Hungarian flag ablaze and demand an end to talks on resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.