17:48, 3 July 2019

Azerbaijani journalist Fuad Abbasov refuses to return to Russia

Fuad Abbasov. Photo by Kyamal Ali for the "Caucasian Knot"

Azerbaijani journalist Fuad Abbasov does not intend to return to Russia, even if the 50-year ban on entry into the country is lifted. He promised to protect the rights of Azerbaijanis in Russia through his online "Misra-TV" channel.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on June 25, Fuad Abbasov was extradited to Baku. He associated his extradition from Russia with the political forces interested in the deterioration of the Russian-Azerbaijani and Russian-Turkish relations.

On May 16, in Moscow, law enforcers detained Fuad Abbasov, the head of the Centre for Information Initiatives, on the charge of violating the immigration laws. In the course of his detention, Fuad Abbasov was beaten, his advocate claimed. To protest against the journalist's extradition, activists held actions in front of the Russian Embassy in Azerbaijan.

Fuad Abbasov runs the online "Misra-TV" channel and the website "misra.ru", which describes the life of the Azerbaijani Diaspora in Russia.

According to Fuad Abbasov, he never received a legal justification for the ban on entry to Russia. He believes that it was introduced "at will" of the spokesperson of the Armenian Diaspora.

"My goal was to unite members of the Diaspora to ensure it will protect the Azerbaijanis. However, I did not succeed in doing that," the journalist admitted.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 3, 2019 at 04:06 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Author: Kyamal Ali

Source: CK correspondent