Armenian Blogger Evades Azerbaijani ‘Intelligence’ Agencies, Visits Ganja

By Asbarez | Tuesday, 10 July 2018

The Armenian blogger who entered Azerbaijan with a Belarusian passport.

The Armenian blogger who entered Azerbaijan with a Belarusian passport.

On July 9, prominent Russian-Ukrainian-Israeli tourism blogger Alexander Lapshin posted a video on his Facebook page where a man — presenting himself to be Armenian — explains how he was able to visit Azerbaijan with a Belarusian passport.

“The Armenian with a Belarusian passport was able to arrive in Azerbaijan and reach his parents’ home in Ganja (Kirovabad),” Lapshin wrote

Lapshin said that Azerbaijan bans the entry of ethnic Armenians to the country based on its racist policies.

“His short film shows the poverty, evilness, horrible Armenophobia and the nationwide spy-mania in Azerbaijan. The man later went to Armenia and Karabakh,” Lapshin wrote.

Regarding the Armenian blogger’s parents, Lapshin wrote that Armenians fled Ganja during the Karabakh war and their homes were taken by Azerbaijanis. Lapshin noted that Azerbaijani security forces failed to notice the ethnicity of the young man, and he was able to film the coverage and return home safely.


According to Lapshin, the Armenian blogger took a great risk by filming in Azerbaijan — simply walking in Ganja or asking about the homes of Armenians could have led to his murder or arrest.

“We expect an addition to the honorary list: the blacklist of Azerbaijan,” Lapshin joked.

Lapshin made international media headlines in 2017 for being arrested in Belarus and extradited to Azerbaijan after Baku issued an arrest warrant for his “unauthorized visit” to Artsakh.


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