Human Rights Defender of Russia, Tatyana Moskalkova, considers unacceptable the extradition of Russian blogger Alexander Lapshin to Azerbaijan.

“I consider unacceptable the extradition of the Russian citizen, independent journalist Alexander Lapshin from the territory of the Union states of Russia and Belarus to the Azerbaijani Republic,” she noted.

According to Moskalkova, this is expressly prescribed by Article 61(1) of the Russian Constitution: “A citizen of the Russian Federation may not be deported from Russia or extradited to another State.” The Russian Human Rights Defender also added that her position is supported by Russian MFA and other relevant agencies.

“Along with this, I would like to remind the Russian citizens leaving abroad of the necessity to study and observe the legislation of foreign states,” Moskalkova’s statement reads. 

In mid-December, Lapshin, who is also a citizen of Russia, wrote that he was arrested in Minsk upon the request of Azerbaijan, where he was included in the “black list” for visiting the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic without agreeing with the Azerbaijani authorities.

On January 17, the Prosecutor’s Office of Belarus satisfied the request of the Azerbaijani side on extraditing Alexander Lapshin. On January 26, the Minsk city court dismissed the complaint of attorneys.