Blogger Lapshin meets OSCE Media Freedom Representative Harlem Désir in Vienna

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YEREVAN, MAY 3, ARMENPRESS. Famous blogger Alexander Lapshin met with OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir and his office Director Frane Maroevic in Vienna, reports Armenpress.

Lapshin said on Facebook that during the meetings he presented them the criminal attitude demonstrated against him by Azerbaijan.

“These people helped me a lot during difficult times”, the blogger said.

Earlier Lapshin said he declares 2018 as a year of punishing Azerbaijan. The blogger stated that he is going to tell the whole world about what had happened to him in Azerbaijan. “I am constantly being asked why I have focused on Azerbaijan and what is my ultimate goal? The goal is very clear – to punish them with a golden shekel [Israeli currency] for their crimes. Secondly, I want to inform the world about what Baku regime is doing, not only the one which happened to me, but also what it is doing with its own citizens”, the blogger said, adding that he will delete “that Caspian country from his world map”.

Lapshin was arrested in 2016 by Belarus police after being declared internationally wanted by Azerbaijan. The blogger was blacklisted by Azerbaijan for visiting Artsakh.

Lapshin was extradited to Baku in early 2017, a move that sparked outrage among human rights activists and others.

He was sentenced to three years in jail by Baku, but was pardoned by President Ilham Aliyev on September 11, 2017.

English –translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan

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