Tuesday, February 7 2017 15:36

ArmInfo.The Upper Court of Belarus dismissed the Russian-  Israeli blog writer Alexander Lapshin's appeal on legality and  validity of the Minsk City Court decision, which recognized the  Belarus' General Prosecutor's decision on  Baku's extradition request  to be a legal one. 

The appeal in the Upper Court took place behind closed doors. Lapshin  was not present. The Upper Court is valid since the publication.   Alexander Lapshin was arrested in Minsk by Azerbaijani request in  December. He is enlisted in the black list of Azerbaijan for visiting  not recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh Republic without coordinating it with  Azerbaijani authorities. Such individuals' enter to Azerbaijan is  forbidden. Nevertheless, in June 2015, Lapshin entered Azerbaijan  through Georgian border with Ukrainian Passport. To pass the border  control and appear in Baku, the blog writer managed only due to  alternate writing of his name in the Passport, Alexander to  Olexander. After this Azerbaijan claimed for his international search  for law violation on "State Border" and the migration regulation of  the state. On January 17, Belarus satisfied the Azerbaijani  extradition request for Alexander Lapshin. Minsk City Court dismissed  the appeal of the lawyers to change the judgment of the first  instance.  Earlier, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said  that Moscow is against the extradition of Lapshin to Azerbaijani  authorities: "We are against extradition of Russian citizens,  arrested in this or that country to the third part".

Meanwhile, on February 3rd the President of Belarus Alexander  Lukashenko asked the Upper Court to execute to decision as fast as  possible, as he found the decision absolutely legal. "We should have  extradited him long before. I instructed you-give him by law. By the  law comes the following- Russians want him? No, he is not an Israeli  citizen I guess. Azerbaijan did not address us, but Interpol. We,  according to Interpol decision, arrested him and by the law have to  extradite him to Azerbaijan. We could free him. But it is not right  as we will be treated the same way when we will need to arrest  someone", added the President of Belarus. Belarus has no reason to  dismiss the Azerbaijani request for Lapshin, he noted.