Azerbaijan to Compensate Blogger Alexander Lapshin €30,000

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has today ruled in favor of blogger Alexander Lapshin in his case against Azerbaijan. The blogger announced the news on his Facebook page. It should be noted that Lapshin had appealed to the ECHR over attempts on his life and torture he faced in a Baku prison.

Lapshin announced his victory, stating that the ECHR had ordered Azerbaijan to pay him €30,000 in compensation. “Victory. The European Court of Human Rights has found the Azerbaijani authorities guilty of attempting to murder me in a Baku prison and inflicting severe torture. Azerbaijan is obligated to compensate me with €30,000. The court also confirmed that I have never written letters of apology directed to President Aliyev, and cast doubt on the authenticity of the letters presented by Azerbaijan,” he stated.

It is worth recalling that Alexander Lapshin was arrested in Minsk in December 2016 after a trip to Azerbaijan and extradited to Baku. The court found him guilty of visiting Artsakh in 2011 and 2012 and sentenced him to imprisonment. Following a significant outcry and efforts from the international community, human rights organizations, and officials from Israel and Russia, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree granting mercy to Alexander Lapshin in 2017.