Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 9
By Seba Aghayeva – Trend:
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Hikmat Hajiyev has commented on some circles’ attempts to link Alexander Lapshin’s case with the freedom of media and movement.
Speaking to Trend on the matter, Hajiyev said the attempts of the Armenian propaganda, certain circles, and particularly OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatovic to link Lapshin’s case with the freedom of media or freedom of movement is totally groundless.
“The criminal case against Lapshin and his extradition to Azerbaijan, in line with intergovernmental agreements, are a triumph of the rule of law,” said Hajiyev.
He said the attempts of Armenia, which attracts foreigners to its criminal acts, to call Lapshin’s case a “violation of media freedom and freedom of movement” are absurd and laughable.
Azerbaijan has urged the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatovic not to go against her mandate, being led by Armenia’s dirty propaganda, not to present certain criminal cases as “violation of media freedom” and not to politicize them.
“I would like to remind Dunja Mijatovic about how she rejected the provocative proposals of an Armenian delegation on the travel of media representatives to conflict zones at the South Caucasus Media Conference, held in Tbilisi on July 6-7, 2016 under her chairmanship,” said Hajiyev.
“I would also like to note that blogging does not give anyone the right to violate the law or the right to security of a person,” he said, adding that the criminal case brought against Lapshin has nothing to do with his activity as a blogger.
Alexander Lapshin is a citizen of several countries and has had a criminal conspiracy with Armenians living in the occupied Azerbaijani territories. He also illegally visited these territories.
Lapshin is accused of violating Azerbaijani laws on state border in April 2011 and October 2012.
In order to promote the illegal regime created in the Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia, Lapshin presented Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh as an “independent state” on his social media account, and supporting the “independence” of the unrecognized regime he made public incitements aimed at violating Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity on April 6 and June 29, 2016.