Zakharova on Lapshin`s extradition: Russia insistently states that  extradition of Russian citizens to third countries is unacceptable     

ArmInfo.Russia insistently states that extradition of Russian citizens to the third countries is unacceptable, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova  said at a briefing on Feb 3, when commenting on Minsk's decision to  extradite the Russian-Israeli blog writer Alexander Lapshin to  Azerbaijan.       

"We are intensively negotiating with the Foreign Ministry of Belarus  and the competent bodies of that country. The Russian Commissioner  for Human Rights has recently published a relevant statement about  not only the humanitarian aspect, but also the legal assessment of  this situation. Therefore, I can comment on this with due regard for  that statement," Zakharova says.      

To note, Russian Commissioner for Human Rights Tatyana Moskalkova  thinks it is unacceptable to extradite Russian blog writer,  independent journalist Alexander Lapshin to Azerbaijan. "According to  Article 31.1 of the Russian Constitution, a citizen of the Russian  Federation cannot be extradited to another state. The Russian Foreign  Ministry and other departments support my stand. At the same time, I  would like to remind the Russian citizens going abroad of the  necessity to study and observe the legislation of foreign states,"  Moskalkova says.   

To recall, Alexander Lapshin was detained in mid-December in Minsk  upon Azerbaijan's request. Baku "blacklisted" Lapshin for visiting  the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic without coordinating his decision with  the Azeri authorities. On January 17, The Prosecutor General's Office  of Belarus satisfied Azerbaijan's request about Lapshin's  extradition. On January 26, the City Court of Minsk rejected the  complaint of the lawyers.