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“Some Azerbaijani media make ungrounded comments in connection with the arrest of Iranian citizen Mikayil Kazimi,” says a statement on the official website of the Iranian embassy in Baku.

The Iranian embassy’s statement said, in part, “Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan Mohsen Pak Ayeen, in response to ungrounded comments by some Azerbaijani media in connection with the arrest of Mikayil Kazimi, clarified that Kazimi is a security officer of exhibitions organized by Ardabil administration, and left for Azerbaijan eight months ago as a member of the delegation.”

According to Mohsen Pak Ayeen, Mikayil Kazimi is a security officer and has the right to carry weapons. When he arrived in Azerbaijan, he handed over his weapon to the Iranian side but forgot the ammunition belt in his pocket. He was therefore detained by Azerbaijani customs officials.

“The Iranian embassy issued a note to the Azerbaijani MFA, demanding to release Kazimi. One of Azerbaijani Frontier Service officials officially announced that Kazimi will be released but it did not take place, for unknown reasons. Then we learnt that Kazimi was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison by an Azerbaijani court,” said the Iranian envoy.

We should mention that Junior Research Fellow of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences Institute of Literature, Khalida Khalid and her assistant, who were arrested by Iranian security forces in Tabriz on April 30, have been released lately and have returned to Azerbaijan.