Russian Embassy relates case of Baghirov to attempt to tacitly strain bilateral relations

The Embassy of Russia in Moldova reiterates the position that there were no reasons to arrest blogger Eduard Baghirov and that he was arrested and questioned in breach of the European democratic standards as attempts were made to extract from him statements that would compromise certain political forces, Info-Prim Neo reports. In a press release, the Embassy says it specifies this in the wake of insinuations that it would have been involved in the escape of the Russian blogger from house arrest that appeared in the media and political circles. The Embassy stresses the accusations made against Eduard Baghirov are absurd, especially because the Moldovan law enforcement bodies during two years made no progress in elucidating the April 7, 2009 events, when the Parliament Building and the Presidential Office were destroyed. As to the transfer of the blogger under house arrest and his subsequent escape, the Embassy says that all their requests to allow meetings with the Russian citizen were either ignored or answered with great delay. After Baghirov was put under house arrest, the law enforcement bodies refused to say where the blogger was. “We consider that the awkward attempts to put the blame on somebody else, which take the form of veiled attempts to continue the ‘trial’ and announce Eduard Baghirov wanted, are counterproductive,” reads the communiqué. The Embassy states that forces interested in straining the friendship relations between Russia and Moldova are behind these insinuations and nonproductive attempts. Eduard Baghirov was arrested in June, being accused of involvement in the organization of the public disorder of April 2009. Recently, he was transferred under house arrest, but managed to escape and got to Russia.