Russian Foreign Ministry expressed regret over the decision of the Belarusian authorities to extradite popular blogger Alexander Lapshin who has Russian citizenship, to Azerbaijan.

“The Russian side is deeply disappointed over that decision which isn't corresponding to the spirit of allied relations between Russia and Belarus," the statement said.

The Ministry also noted that they were planning to take measures for protection of Lapshin’s rights and interests, returning him to his family.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Supreme Court of Belarus upheld the decision of the Prosecutor General on extraditing Alexander Lapshin to Azerbaijan.

After his visits to Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) in 2011 and 2012, Alexander Lapshin was “blacklisted” by Azerbaijan. In June 2016, however, he paid a visit to Azerbaijan, but with a Ukrainian passport. Subsequently, he issued several articles criticizing the Azerbaijani authorities. Afterward, the Azerbaijani authorities issued an international search for this famous blogger. And on December 15, 2016, he was detained in the Belarus capital city of Minsk, and based on this international search.

On January 26, the Minsk city court dismissed the complaint of blogger Alexander Lapshin over the decision of the Belarusian prosecutor’s office to extradite him to Azerbaijan.

The Supreme Court of Belarus on Tuesday dismissed the complaints filed in the case of blogger Alexander Lapshin.

According to the experts and human rights defenders, Lapshin’s case may become a horrible precedent limiting the freedom of speech of foreigners and freedom of movement of Armenian citizens.

 On Tuesday evening Blogger Alexander Lapshin was brought to Baku.