Citizen of Russia and Israel, blogger Alexander Lapshin, who was sentenced to jail in Azerbaijan for visiting Artsakh, intends to visit Armenia again after his release from prison. As reported Armenpress, Lapshin reported this on his Facebook page, adding that he will be participating in the April 20-22 Tour Expo 2018 international tourism exhibition in Yerevan.

Lapshin joked that he will be presenting his “experience” in Azerbaijan in Armenia. “I am leaving for Yerevan to participate in the tourism exhibition. I will be presenting my program called “Following the Traces of Lapshin in Baku”. The program will feature a flight in Mehriban Aliyeva’s (First Lady of Azerbaijan-ed.) personal plane, an all-inclusive vacation at a jail in Kurdakhan and the Court for Heavy Crimes in Baku. The cost of the tour — contractual…it is a joke.

In reality, I will be talking about my trips during the exhibition. It will be interesting. Come,” wrote Lapshin.

Lapshin was arrested in 2016 in Belarus in accordance with an inquiry from Azerbaijan. The official Baku included the blogger in its “black list” for visiting the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

On 7 February 2017, the Supreme Court of Belarus rejected Lapshin’s appeal against the decision of the Prosecutor General’s Office of Belarus by which Lapshin had to be extradited to Azerbaijan. On the same day, Lapshin was transported from Minsk to Baku via a special flight and was escorted by national security officers.

On 20 July, the Court for Heavy Crimes of Baku released the verdict over the case of citizen of the Russian Federation and Israel, blogger Alexander Lapshin, sentencing him to three years in prison.

On 11 September 2017, Ilham Aliyev pardoned Lapshin.