Russian blogger sent to Azerbaijan to face charges over trip

BAKU, Azerbaijan – A Russian blogger extradited by Belarus has been flown to Azerbaijan, where he faces charges related to his trip to a disputed ethnic Armenian region of the country.

Alexander Lapshin was detained by police in Belarus in December. He was flown to Azerbaijan Tuesday and escorted out of the airport by law enforcement agents.

Lapshin, who also holds Israeli citizenship, faces charges from his trip to Nagorno-Karabakh via Armenia several years ago.

Nagorno-Karabakh is officially part of Azerbaijan. Since a separatist war ended in 1994, it has been under the control of forces that claim to be local ethnic Armenians but that Azerbaijan claims include Armenian troops.

Settlement negotiations have failed and sporadic clashes continue.

Russia opposed Belarus’ decision to extradite Lapshin. The move comes amid tensions in Russia-Belarus ties.

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