ARMENIA TO DO ITS BEST TO GET PILOTS RELEASED IN EQUATORIAL GUINEA

Arminfo
26 Nov 04

Yerevan, 26 November: The Armenian government will do everything in its power
to secure a fair decision by relevant bodies of Equatorial Guinea concerning
the Armenian citizens, the Armenian Foreign Ministry says in a statement.

(Passage omitted: reported details)

The Foreign Ministry says in its statement that the Armenian pilots’ lawyer
is going to appeal against the unfair sentence to the Supreme Court of
Equatorial Guinea and if necessary, to international judicial bodies. An Armenian
delegation, which is currently in Malabo and has repeatedly visited the capital of
Equatorial Guinea to take all the necessary measures, will remain in this
country to discuss with the country’s authorities the possibility of handing over
the pilots to Armenia.

“We are absolutely sure that the pilots have nothing to do with any actions
aimed at the authorities of Equatorial Guinea, and the court has not produced
any conclusive proof either,” the Foreign Ministry says in its statement.

We should recall that on 8 March of this year, the authorities in Equatorial
Guinea arrested a large group of people, which among other foreigners,
included six Armenian pilots. The Armenian pilots were charged with complicity in the
organization of a coup d’etat in that country and are now facing imprisonment
for up to 26 years. The Armenian pilots are flatly denying the accusations.