Provocative blogger Lapshin banned from entering Armenia

Russian-Israeli blogger Alexander Lapshin has been banned from entering Armenia, according to the Belarusian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Previously, Armenian border guards detained Lapshin seven times at the request of Belarusian authorities, the publication notes.

The incident occurred on April 5 upon arrival at Yerevan airport.

As the blogger himself told the publication, in Yerevan, where he lived with his family for about three years and participated in humanitarian projects, he still has a rented apartment and personal belongings: "There was a bit of background to this. I have an Israeli passport. With it, entry to Armenia essentially requires an electronic visa. I applied online and received—for the first time in my life—a refusal. For the first time in all ten years of my trips to Armenia, I was refused."

After that, Lapshin and his family decided to fly to Yerevan without an electronic visa and attempt to obtain a regular one on the spot, as provided by law. However, he was refused again.

Officially, the decision was explained by the fact that during his previous visit to Armenia, Lapshin interviewed a former Armenian prisoner of war, Gevorg Sujyan, who spoke about alleged "tortures in Azerbaijani captivity." "And now they tell me that such videos, which talk about tortures in Azerbaijani prisons, undermine trust between Armenia and Azerbaijan," Lapshin said.

In private conversations, Armenian law enforcement officials told him a different version of the reason for the entry ban, related to the Belarusian authorities: "I was told that everyone is tired of my detentions and appeals against detentions during my visits to Yerevan."