Armenian diplomats still in Equatorial Guinea to get pilots released

Arminfo
30 Nov 04

YEREVAN

After the six Armenian pilots were imprisoned in Equatorial Guinea,
the Armenian delegation is still in that country to discuss the
further fate of the Armenian pilots with the local authorities.

The Armenian delegation has been allowed to visit the pilots, the
press service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry told Arminfo news
agency. Ambassador Sergey Manaseryan and the deputy head of the
Armenian state protocol service, Gevorg Petrosyan, are having ongoing
negotiations with various representatives of the Equatorial Guinean
leadership, including the secretary-general of the ruling Democratic
Party, Filiberto Ntutumu Nguema. Meetings have been scheduled with the
Equatorial Guinean foreign minister. A statement by the Armenian
government in connection with the review of the case of the Armenian
pilots will be submitted during the meeting. The Armenian delegation
maintains close contact with the pilots’ defence lawyer (?Ponciano
Mbombo Nwo) who intends to appeal against the sentence at the Supreme
Court of Equatorial Guinea.

However, the court has still not provided the written version of the
sentence, only after which it will be possible to appeal to the
Supreme Court.

[Passage omitted: South Africans’ defence lawyers are also waiting for
the sentence in a written form; background to the case]