Sputnik editor freed, leaves Azerbaijan after Baku detention
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Sputnik Azerbaijan's editor Yevgeny Belousov left Baku following his release without charges, Russian FM confirms.
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A view shows the main newsroom of Sputnik news in Moscow, Russia, on April 27, 2018 (Mladen Antonov / AFP via Getty Images)
Yevgeny Belousov, the editor-in-chief of Sputnik Azerbaijan, has departed the capital Baku after being released from custody, according to a statement by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
Speaking to RIA Novosti on Saturday, Zakharova confirmed, “Sputnik's second correspondent, Belousov, has left Baku after being released from custody.”
Belousov’s release follows the detention of several Sputnik journalists in Azerbaijan earlier this year. On June 30, Azeri authorities detained seven employees of the news agency without formal charges, sparking condemnation from the Russian media and diplomatic officials.
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Background: arrest of Sputnik journalists in Azerbaijan
Among those arrested were Sputnik Azerbaijan desk chief Igor Kartavykh and Belousov, both held in custody for four months. The Rossiya Segodnya media group, which operates Sputnik, had repeatedly called for the release of its detained staff, denouncing the arrests as groundless.
Following the initial arrest, Rossiya Segodnya CEO Dmitry Kiselev condemned Azerbaijan's actions, stating that it was an attempt to intentionally strain relations between Moscow and Baku. Zakharova also noted that Azerbaijan never raised concerns over Sputnik Azerbaijan prior to the arrests.
On October 10, Kiselev announced that Kartavykh’s pretrial detention had been changed to house arrest. Nine days later, on October 19, Kartavykh returned to Moscow after being fully released from custody.
Belousov’s release and subsequent departure from Baku now marks the end of the high-profile case involving arrested journalists in Azerbaijan, a development closely monitored by Russian media and diplomatic channels.
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