The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Israel demands a stop to the persecution against blogger—and Israeli citizen—Alexander Lapshin, Haqqin.az news agency of Azerbaijan reported citing Haaretz daily of Israel. 

The paper informed that Ksenia Svetlova from the Zionist Union political alliance in Israel is providing legal assistance to Lapshin and his family.

Svetlova announced that she asked the Israeli MFA to intervene in the case involving Lapshin who is being detained in Belarus, have him released, and not to allow his extradition to Azerbaijan.

At her request, representatives of the Israeli embassy in the Belarusian capital city of Minsk have already met with Alexander Lapshin’s wife. And soon, they will meet with Lapshin himself, and get acquainted with the conditions of his detention.

At the same time, however, Haaretz wrote that the Israeli MFA has established diplomatic ties with the Azerbaijani government, so as to quietly coverup this case.

Blogger Alexander Lapshin was detained in Belarus. The Azerbaijani authorities had issued a search for Lapshin, and for visiting Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh).