“The lack of proper reaction by the international community on Lapshin’s arrest and extradition to Azerbaijan inspired Baku,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Tigran Balayan wrote on Twitter, commenting on the case of the Azerbaijani reporter in Georgia.
To note, Armen Ashotyan, Chair of Armenia’s National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee on Foreign Relations, has also touched upon the topic.
“The full investigation of this case is not considered only to be Georgia’s internal issue, but also is an imperative for international community to respond to this outrageous challenge,” Ashotyan said, adding “The issue is also relevant for guaranteeing the rights and fundamental freedoms of the blacklisted by Azerbaijan foreigners, as well as citizens of Armenia and Artsakh.”
To remind, Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Mukhtarli went missing in Tbilisi on May 29 and a day later he was reported to be in a detention facility in Baku. Number of international watchdogs that later reacted to what appeared to be a case of abduction, called for immediate and unconditional release of the journalist, citing risks of torture and other ill-treatment in a detention facility in Baku, persecuting Mukhtarli solely for his work as a journalist.