Currently in Vilnius with their child, Tarana, the wife of Azad Hasanov, has told the Lietuvos Rytas TV that her husband returned to his homeland to visit his cancer-stricken father and was detained and charged with drug trafficking.
But Lithuanian diplomats say Hasanov had been warned not to return to Azerbaijan and say it’s now difficult to help him.
Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevičius says he has expressed his concern to the Azerbaijan Embassy.
“These are the only measures of political influence as legally he’s not our citizen,” he said.
Hasanov’s wife said her husband used to organize regular anti-government protests, and the family was forced to flee Azerbaijan after two attempts to detain him.