CPJ urges Belarus to release Russian blogger wanted in Azerbaijan
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 14 January 2017 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, CPJ urges Belarus to release Russian blogger wanted in Azerbaijan, 14 January 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5975a44211.html [accessed 25 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
January 14, 2017
Aleksandr Lapshin
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is calling on Belarusian authorities to "unconditionally" release a Russian-Israeli blogger who is wanted in Baku on separatism charges.
Aleksandr Lapshin, who lives in Moscow and writes a Russian-language travel blog, was detained in Minsk last month on an extradition request from Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijani prosecutors accuse him of illegally visiting Nagorno-Karabakh and calling for the recognition of the breakaway region's independence from Azerbaijan.
A representative of Belarus's Prosecutor-General's Office was quoted as saying on January 13 that it was studying Azerbaijan's extradition request.
"Lapshin should not be jailed for expressing his opinions or traveling to a disputed region," Nina Ognianova, CPJ's Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, said in a January 13 statement.
If extradited, tried, and convicted, Lapshin faces up to eight years in prison.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
