21 January 2017, 21:07
Facebook users start flash mob in support of blogger Lapshin
A flash mob is on in the Armenian segment of the Facebook in support of the detained blogger Alexander Lapshin, whom Belarus is going to extradite to Azerbaijan. The protesters state on their pages that they refuse to purchase Belarus-made goods.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 15, 2016, the blogger Alexander Lapshin reported that he had been detained by militia in Minsk. The Azerbaijani General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) demanded to extradite Lapshin from Minsk to Baku.
The official Baku accuses the blogger of visiting the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, which Azerbaijan is treating as its occupied territory, and of public statements in support of the independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR). Activists and public figures of Armenia have called on to prevent the extradition of the blogger, treating his case as a threat to the freedom of speech.
The above flash mob was launched after on January 20 news appeared about the decision of Belarusian authorities to extradite Alexander Lapshin to Azerbaijan. Users join the action by placing a post on their pages: "I don't buy Belarus-made goods" and the hashtag #blogerlapshin. The flash mob organizers call on to stop buying the goods made in Belarus as a sign of protest against Lapshin's extradition.
The user Ara Vardanyan treats the Belarus' actions as a hostile step in relation to Armenia. "It's clear to everybody that this is a political step, by which Minsk expresses its attitude to both Yerevan and Baku," the flash mob participant told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
According to Vardanyan, "given the atmosphere that is formed today by social networks, we can hope that the action may trigger certain changes." "It's obvious that Belarusian authorities won't change their decision, but it will give a chance to express the reaction of the Armenian community, as well as to attract the attention of the international community to the problem of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan's position as a whole," he said.
Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.
Author: Inessa Sargsyan Source: CK correspondent
