Baku court gives 3 years to Russian-Israeli blogger over Karabakh visitJuly 20, 2017 - 12:41 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A court in Baku on Thursday, July 20 sentenced Russian-Israeli blogger Alexander Lapshin to three years in prison. On Wednesday, the court heard the defense side. Lawyer Eduard Chernin said he considered the charges brought against the blogger "unfounded and illegal" and asked for an acquittal. In his closing argument, Lapshin once again rejected the charges against him. "I categorically reject the accusations against me and plead not guilty," he said. Lapshin divides his time between Israel and a few other places. He was detained on December 15 in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, at the request of Azeri authorities who demanded his extradition. He was arrested following his visits to Nagorno Karabakh as well as due to critical posts in his Russian-language blog against Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Once extradited to Azerbaijan, Lapshin was immediately taken into custody. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | About 32,000 rally in Yerevan to deman Pashinyan’s resignation About 31,700 people attended an opposition rally on Thursday, May 9 in Yerevan demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Armenian, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister to meet in Almaty Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov will meet in Almaty. Viva-MTS: Tech solutions to modernize infrastructure of border village The border village has been the focus of Viva-MTS and the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Values since 2015. Ucom's fixed network launched in Artashat To mark this occasion, the company has introduced a special offer exclusively for Artashat residents. |