Jailed blogger in Azerbaijan seeks extradition to Israel

BAKU, Azerbaijan – The lawyer for a Russian blogger jailed in Azerbaijan for travelling to a separatist-controlled region of the former Soviet republic says his client has petitioned to be extradited to Israel.

Alexander Lapshin was detained in Belarus last year and extradited to Azerbaijan, where he was charged for his trip to Nagorno-Karabakh via Armenia several years ago. He was sentenced to three years in prison earlier this month.

Defence lawyer Eduard Chernin said Wednesday that his client has met with an Israeli consul in prison and petitioned to be extradited there. Lapshin holds Russian, Ukrainian and Israeli citizenship.

Since a separatist war ended in 1994, Nagorno-Karabakh has been under the control of forces that claim to be local ethnic Armenians but that Azerbaijan alleges include Armenian troops.