15:57, 16 January 2017

Activists in Yerevan demand not to extradite blogger Lapshin to Azerbaijan

Alexander Lapshin. Photo: http://haqqin.az/news/87806

About twenty activists of the youth wing of the ARF (Armenian Revolutionary Federation) "Dashnaktsutyun" and the Student Union "Nikol Agbalyan" have come today to the Embassy of Belarus in Yerevan, demanding to prevent deportation of blogger Alexander Lapshin to Azerbaijani authorities.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the Azerbaijani General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) demanded to extradite Lapshin from Belarus to Baku; the blogger is accused by the Azerbaijani party of illegally visiting Nagorno-Karabakh and disseminating statements about its independence. On December 15, 2016, Lapshin reported that he was detained by Belarusian police and kept at the GOVD (City Interior Department) of Minsk.

According to organizers, the today's action in support of Lapshin was about 20 persons strong. They shouted: "Don't patronize Aliev!" and "Karabakh is not Azerbaijan!" the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

Activists warned that their protests would be continuous and tougher, should their demands remain without reaction.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.

Author: Inessa Sargsyan, Tigran Petrosyan

Source: CK correspondents