A crowd of about 1,500 people gathered late Tuesday in Budapest and asked for Armenia's forgiveness in the extradition of an Azerbaijani man, who had been convicted of murder but was later pardoned and decorated upon his return home.

Hungary remains in the center of stoked historic animosity between the two Caucasian countries after the surprise extradition Friday of Ramil Sahib Safarov, an Azerbaijani national who was convicted of murdering Armenian Gurgen Margarjan in Budapest in 2004. The two men had participated in a NATO-backed training course. During that time, Mr. Safarov used an ax to decapitate Mr. Margarjan in his sleep and had planned to assault another Armenian, the criminal investigation found.

Armenia was outraged by the extradition and severed all diplomatic ties with Hungary after news of Mr. Safarov’s pardoning Friday.

Speakers at the event organized by the civil liberties group Milla -- derived from One Million Strong for the Freedom of the Press -- condemned Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government for its participation in freeing Mr. Safarov. They asked the Armenian people for forgiveness and called on the government to step down after "shaming" the country.

Several participants at the rally carried photographs of the late Mr. Margarjan as well as billboards condemning the government’s actions in the extradition.