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.
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.
Editors' Picks
Top Trending
1
Russian Arrest Warrant Issued For Ex-Chess Champion Garry Kasparov
2Church, Entire Village 'Erased' In Azerbaijan's Recaptured Nagorno-Karabakh
3Ukrainian Men Abroad Scramble In Wake Of Mobilization Crackdown
4Siberian Teens Get Prison Terms Over Anti-War Graffiti
5Why Is Viktor Orban Keeping The 100-Year-Old Treaty Of Trianon Alive?
6With ATACMS In Hand, Ukraine Looks To Neutralize Putin's Fortress In Crimea
7Live Briefing: Russia Invades Ukraine
8The Two Problems That Bulgaria Can't Solve
9Exclusive: How A Secretive Uzbek Firm Linked To The President's Family Earned Millions On Sweetheart Deals
10Ukraine's Top General Says Frontline Conditions Worsen, Troops Fall Back
Subscribe
