Today.Az » Politics » Azerbaijani citizens arrested in Libya set free, return home
21 January 2021 [16:55] - Today.Az


By Trend


Azerbaijani citizens Elmikhan Baghirov and Aliagha Babayev, arrested in Libya, have returned to the homeland on Jan.21, Trend reports citing the press service of Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry.

According to the press service, in March 2016, a vessel belonging to a Turkish registered company and flying the flag of Sierra Leone was detained by the Libyan Coast Guard while sailing in the Libya-Malta-Turkey direction. “Members of the vessel's crew, consisting of 12 people, including 3 citizens of Azerbaijan, were imprisoned for five years for smuggling oil products. Unfortunately, one of the citizens, sailor Elshad Huseynov died in Libya,” the press service noted. “As a result of measures taken by the Azerbaijani government in connection with the return of the imprisoned citizens - the vessel’s captain Elmikhan Baghirov and the sailor Aliagha Babayev to the homeland, on December 29, 2020, the Libyan General Prosecutor's Office decided to release and place them in a temporary detention center.

“Later, via the efforts of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry and Consulate General in Turkish Istanbul for the urgent evacuation of Elmikhan Baghirov and Aliagha Babayev they were brought back to the homeland by a plane flying on Tripoli-Istanbul-Baku route. The evacuation process was carried out with the support of Turkey and Libya, coordination activities of Ukraine, and the support of the shipping company,” added the press service.



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