Lapshin�s Defense Partially Satisfied with Verdict (UPDATED)

Baku / 20.07.17 / Turan: "The defense will take a decision on filing an appeal against the verdict on the blogger Alexander Lapshin after consulting with the accused himself," Lapshin's lawyer Eduard Chernin told Turan IA.

Commenting on the results of the judicial investigation, Chernin described them as "satisfactory" and consistent with the procedural legislation.

"The court objectively approached (to the criminal case). What we asked to exclude (at least 50 percent of the accusation) the court excluded. This is already not bad," Chernin said, referring to the dismissal of charges under Article 281.2.

On the question whether an appeal would be lodged, Chernin said this would depend on Lapshin himself. "My subsequent actions will depend on the decision of my client. Of course, without coordination with him, we will not take any steps," Chernin said.

The lawyer himself believes an appeal should be filed. Earlier, in the last word, the lawyer asked the court to fully justify Lapshin.

On the question whether Lapshin may be extradited to serve his sentence in the countries of which he is a citizen, the lawyer replied the following: "Azerbaijan has no agreement of the sort with Israel. With Russia and Ukraine there are such agreements and, accordingly, extradition is possible."

Note that the issue of extradition of a convicted person to a country of which he is a citizen can only be considered after the sentence has entered into legal force.

Meanwhile, the defense side has 20 days to appeal the verdict.

Lapshin was prosecuted for illegally visiting the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. He was detained on December 16 by the authorities of Belarus at the request of Azerbaijan and extradited to Baku on February 7, 2017. He was charged under articles 281.2 (public appeals directed against the state) and 318.2 (illegal crossing of the state border of the Republic of Azerbaijan) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan.

As a result of the judicial investigation, the charge brought against him under Article 281.2 was quashed, since the court did not consider the evidence sufficient to convict him of committing open appeals to violate the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. The court found Lapshin guilty only under Article 318.2 (unlawful crossing of the border). When appointing the punishment, the court was guided by a mitigating circumstance - the presence of a small child at Lapshin. At the same time, the court found no aggravating circumstances.

In conclusion, the court sentenced Lapshin to 3 years of imprisonment with serving the sentence in a common regime prison. The term of punishment is counted from December 15, 2016, when he was detained in Minsk. -06C--

* * *

2017 July 20 (Thursday) 12:01:49

Blogger Lapshin Gets Three Years of Common-Regime Imprisonment

Bakı / 20.07.17 / Turan: The blogger Alexander Lapshin has been sentenced to 3 years of imprisonment with serving a sentence in a common regime prison under Article 318.2 of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan (illegal border crossing).

Such a decision was made on July 20 by the Court for Grave Crimes of Azerbaijan under the chairmanship of Judge Alovsat Abbasov. The court did not apply Article 281.2 (serious anti-state appeals) because of the lack of evidence for the prosecution.

According to the indictment, Lapshin visited the occupied territories of Azerbaijan more than once in 2011-2016. For this he was included in the "black list" of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan. However, in 2015 he entered Azerbaijan with a Ukrainian passport, using the difference in writing his name in the Ukrainian and Russian languages.

Lapshin was detained on December 16 by the authorities of Belarus at the request of Azerbaijan and extradited to Baku on February 7, 2017.

The authorities of Russia and Israel appealed to the authorities of Azerbaijan with a request for the release of the blogger, but they did not achieve the goal. -06 / 16B-