Two Ukrainian Citizens Freed from Captivity in Libya; Four still Held
The head of the Consular Services Department of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Evgeny Ignatovsky, reported that armed militants released two Ukrainian prisoners but continue to hold four Ukrainian citizens hostage in Libya.
“Six Ukrainian citizens were being held captive in Libya. Today, two of these Ukrainian citizens are coming back to Ukraine. The Court established that they are innocent of the acts of which they were accused and they have been released from detention. Currently, one of the armed Islamic groups continues to hold four Ukrainian citizens in captivity,” Ignatovsky clarified.
According to him, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues its work on the release of the four Ukrainians. On the 14th of January, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reported that two Ukrainian citizens, crew members of Sun Oil I, were released from captivity. They were held captive by one of the armed groups in Tripoli (Libya) since January 2015.
Sun Oil I (under the flag of the Republic of Moldova) was detained off the coast of Libya, and the crew members were accused of smuggling.