The statement of Amnesty International on Alexander Lapshin’s case is an extreme example of double standards, Hikmat Hajiyev, spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, told APA on Wednesday.
Amnesty International’s attempts to politicize Lapshin’s case, which should be reviewed from a legal standpoint, are absolutely groundless, Hajiyev noted.
Amnesty International’s statement saying that Lapshin may be subjected to torture is ridiculous, according to the spokesman.
He added that this statement is absurd as the consular services of the Russian and Israeli embassies and Lapshin’s lawyer are satisfied with the conditions of the blogger’s detention.
“Why does Amnesty International still prefer to keep quiet and pretend that it knows nothing about Armenia's violation of international humanitarian law, about the fact that Armenia did not return the body of soldier Chingiz Gurbanov for more than a month and continues to keep our compatriots Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev, who were taken hostages while visiting the graves of their relatives and who are suffering physical torture and psychological pressure?” Hajiyev said.
“Amnesty International, which is used to unreasonably criticize Azerbaijan at every opportunity, has not yet stated its position in connection with violation of the rights of refugees and IDPs who were exiled from their native lands as a result of Armenian aggression,” he stressed.
False policy of Amnesty International’s double standards indicates that this non-governmental organization (NGO) has become a GONGO [a government-organized NGO set up or sponsored by a government in order to further its political interests], Hajiyev added.
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.
The Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's Office filed a suit against Lapshin under the articles of 281.2 (appeals directed against the state) and 318.2 (illegal border crossing) of the Criminal Code.
Lapshin was detained in Minsk on Dec. 15, 2016 and extradited to Azerbaijan on Feb. 7.
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