YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 11, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev pardoned Israeli-Russian blogger Alexander Lapshin on September 11, Azerbaijani media said.

The executive order of pardoning the jailed blogger is effective after publication.

The tourism blogger was detained in Belarus in 2016 upon Azerbaijan’s request. Azerbaijan had blacklisted Lapshin for his visit to Artsakh.

On February 7, 2017, Alexander Lapshin was extradited to Azerbaijan where a Baku Court sentenced him to 3 years imprisonment.

Charges included “public calls against the state” and “illegal border crossing”.

The blogger was found guilty for illegal border crossing under Article 318 – the infamous and illicit “law” which defines criminal proceedings for foreigners who visit Nagorno Karabakh “without authorization of Azerbaijan”.