PM Fiala secures release of Czech citizen imprisoned in Azerbaijan

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala successfully intervened to secure the release of a Czech citizen imprisoned in Azerbaijan earlier this year, following a diplomatic appeal to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. The incident took place amid ongoing tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which have yet to establish a formal peace deal after their 2020 conflict.

The Czech mountaineer reportedly entered Azerbaijan from Armenia outside an official border crossing, navigating snow-covered minefields on skis and carrying two passports along with a telephoto camera. Detained by a military patrol, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison, though similar cases typically result in fines.

Fiala briefly referenced the case before departing for the COP29 climate conference in Baku, with additional details provided to the Czech News Agency by an anonymous source.