Lapshin refused to appeal and hopes to be extradited to Israel - lawyer

Baku/14.08.17/Turan: On August 14, the deadline set aside for filing an appeal by blogger Alexander Lapshin, sentenced to three years in prison, expired. Therefore, the sentence comes into force. However, the blogger asked to extradite him to Israel, of which he is a citizen.

According to lawyer Eduard Chernin, after the entry into force of the sentence, the Ministry of Justice of Israel should apply to the Azerbaijani side. In principle, Israel expressed its willingness to address Lapshin, but there is a certain procedure. "I think that in the next 7-10 days it will become clear what steps will be taken to extradite Alexander Lapshin to Israel," the lawyer said. He was at a loss to say how long it would take to consider the extradition appeal.

"It used to be different. Sometimes such issues were resolved within one day, and sometimes a fortnight or more," he added. The lawyer noted that the law of Azerbaijan on extradition and the relevant European Convention creates a legal basis for a positive solution of the issue.

* Lapshin was convicted on July 20 on charges of illegally crossing the border and calls against the statehood of Azerbaijan. It was due to his statement in support of the separatists of Nagorno-Karabakh and the arrival in Azerbaijan of a passport for someone else's name. However, Lapshin did not plead guilty at the trial, saying that he said nothing against the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and his trip to Karabakh had a tourist character.

Lapshin was detained on December 16, 2016 in Minsk at the request of Azerbaijan and issued to Baku. -06B--