(COMTEX) B: Seven Russians seized on suspicion of fighting for Taliban released, reports say ( AP WorldStream )
MOSCOW, Jun 24, 2004 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- Seven Russians seized in Afghanistan by U.S. forces in 2001 on suspicion of fighting for the Taliban were freed Thursday from a detention center where they had been held since their March return from the U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, news agencies reported.
Since their return to Russia, the seven had been held at a pretrial detention center in Pyatigorsk, in southern Russia. They had faced charges in Russia of serving as mercenaries and illegally crossing borders.
The news agency Interfax cited an unnamed Justice Ministry source as saying the seven were freed by a court order, but did not give details. The ITAR-Tass news agency cited a regional official of the general prosecutor's office, Nikolai Khazikov, as confirming the release but without elaboration.
An official of the regional Interior Ministry, Ruslan Madayev, told The Associated Press that five of the detainees had been released. He said he had no further information and the discrepancy in numbers could not immediately be resolved.
Interfax cited the Prosecutor-General's office as saying the men had been recruited by radical Islamic organizations and transported to Afghanistan to fight for the Taliban.
At the time of their transfer out of Guantanamo Bay, U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said "The transfer is the result of discussions between our two governments over the past year, including assurances that the individuals will be detained, investigated and prosecuted, as appropriate, under Russian law and will be treated humanely in accordance with Russian law and obligations."
Copyright 2004 Associated Press, All rights reserved
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