Two Georgian sailors released from Libyan prison

Two Georgian sailors, who were detained in Libya more than two years ago, have been released, Georgian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Vladimer Konstantinidi said on Tuesday.

According to him, the Georgian citizens will return to Georgia in the nearest future.

“The sailors have been in Libya for more than two years. Our embassy is actively involved in this process. We found out that their health was satisfactory and amid the difficult political situation in Libya, their lives are not in danger. They have already left the Libyan prison.

Our citizens were arrested in Libyan territorial waters in 2017. Initially, the court charged them for illegal shipment of oil, illegal entry into Libyan territorial waters, and economic harm to the Libyan people. Later, all the charges were removed except for illegal shipment of oil. They were sentenced to 6 months of imprisonment and were fined USD 1,3 million. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been actively involved in the process since the first day of detention. We have used all possible diplomatic and legal levers to release our citizen. With the help of a lawyer, we managed to avoid paying the fine”, Vladimer Konstantinidi said.