Belarusian Ministry of Justice still hopes for release of mercenaries in Libya

Belarus uses all diplomatic means  possible to release the Belarusian citizens convicted in Libya.

This statement was made by Belarusian minister of justice Aleh Slizheuski during an online conference on the website of BelTA news agency on June 20.

“Belarus uses all diplomatic means possible to solve the current situation. Both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus and our diplomatic representation in Libya are involved,” he said.

According to the minister, Belarus and Libya do not have agreements in legal sphere and the interstate cooperation is based on established diplomatic relations. Slizheuski says Belarus hopes the “problem will be solved in the interests of our citizens”. “One should not doubt Belarus will do everything possible to help its citizens in any place of the world,” the minister of justice said.

Slizheuski noted in this connection the Ministry of Justice worked “rather actively” to sign international agreements with different countries. “As of now, the Ministry of Justice has agreements with about 25 states. Of course, we want our relations to be extended, because the level of safety of our citizens in other countries depends on legal platform of interaction between states,” the Belarusian minister of justice said.

We remind the court of Libya sentenced three Belarusian nationals to 10 years in prison on June 4 on accusations of assisting the Gaddafi regime. The Belarusian MFA says the accusations were wrongful: Belarusians arrived in Libya to work at civilian facilities under a contract.

Information about Belarusians among foreign mercenaries on Gaddafi's side repeatedly appeared in the world's press. Official Minsk denied the information about Belarusian military specialists in Libya. However, independent experts said mercenaries from Belarus, among them former military specialists, could have been in Libya in private capacity.