Azerbaijan, Iran exchange prisoners

/By Azernews/

By Nazrin Gadimova

Five Iranian citizens, serving sentences in Azerbaijan, were handed over to representatives of the Iranian judicial system on March 12.

The detainees were transferred at the Astara checkpoint on the Azerbaijani-Iranian border and will serve the rest of their sentences in the Iranian jails, the Penitentiary Service of the Azerbaijani Justice Ministry told Trend.

Furthermore, six citizens of Azerbaijan were extradited from Iran, according to the penitentiary service.

The two countries have exchanged prisoners on the basis of the dated February 21, 1998.

Azerbaijan’s Justice Ministry fulfills commitments on 30 bilateral agreements providing assistance in criminal and civil cases, including on extradition and transferring prisoners. Within the framework of the bilateral agreements, the ministry cooperates with 29 countries.

In 2015, the Justice Ministry received 17,500 requests on the international legal assistance.

Over the past five years, Azerbaijan’s Justice Ministry transferred 167 foreign prisoners, as well as secured the return of 240 Azerbaijani detainees, according to the ministry.