Belarus to extradite Russian blogger to Azerbaijan
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 20 January 2017 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Belarus to extradite Russian blogger to Azerbaijan, 20 January 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5975a47b3.html [accessed 18 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 20, 2017
Russian-Israeli blogger Aleksandr Lapshin (file photo)
MINSK – Belarusian prosecutors have ruled to extradite Russian-Israeli blogger Aleksandr Lapshin to Azerbaijan, where he is accused of separatism.
A spokesman for the Prosecutor-General's Office, Pyotar Kisyalyou, announced the ruling to RFE/RL on January 20.
He did not provide any further details.
But other sources at the Prosecutor-General's Office said deputy state prosecutor Alyaksey Stuk had signed the extradition order on January 17.
Lapshin, who lives in Moscow and writes a Russian-language travel blog, was detained in Minsk in mid-December on an extradition request from Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijani prosecutors accuse him of illegally visiting Nagorno-Karabakh region and calling for the recognition of the breakaway region's independence from Azerbaijan.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists has called on Minsk to "unconditionally" release Lapshin.
If extradited, tried, and convicted, he faces up to eight years in prison.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
