Azernews.Az

A Georgian journalist has said he asked the president of Azerbaijan for temporary asylum claiming his country’s authorities are persecuting him over his work.

"After I started publishing a series of articles about Georgian law enforcement agencies, particularly, the situation in the country’s judiciary system, threats began to be made against me," Lazo Lazareishvili told a news conference in Baku. "Since I continued working, I was arrested in 2009 on charges of exceeding my credentials."

Lazareishvili said that since the charges brought against him could not be proven, he was released nine months later after paying a fine.

The journalist said all of his pleas filed to Georgian courts had been rejected and he subsequently approached the European Court of Human Rights.

"Everything started after that and the threats against me became unbearable," Lazareishvili said. "They demanded that I withdraw this lawsuit."

Lazareishvili said he left his home country several days ago and headed to Azerbaijan where he asked the government to grant him an asylum.

"Azerbaijan is our neighbor and a close country, that is why I decided to seek asylum here."

A source at the Georgian embassy in Azerbaijan said they are unfamiliar with a person named Lazareishvili and that his allegations have no merit.

"Georgia is a democratic state and no one is persecuted there over their work," the embassy source added.