DUSHANBE, May 14, Asia-Plus – Tajikistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is currently conducting negotiations with Uzbek authorities regarding the release of six Tajik school students that were detained by Uzbek border guards on April 27 for illegally crossing the border.
Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, Davlat Nazriyev, the head of the MFA information department, said that the ministry on May 7 handed a copy of letter by parents of the detained school students to the Uzbek Embassy in Dushanbe. “The issue of the release of the school students is currently under consideration, and we hope that Uzbek authorities will meet our halfway and release them,” the MFA spokesman said.
In the meantime, an official with the Uzbek Embassy confirmed that they had received the copy of letter from Tajik MFA and sent it to Uzbekistan’s relevant body. “We hope the issue will be settled in the near future,” the official said.
As it had been reported earlier, 31 school students from the Tajik northern town of Adrasmon decided to organize a picnic on April 27 and inadvertently crossed over into Uzbekistan, where they were detained by Uzbek border guards for illegally crossing the border. After short questioning, 25 school students were released, while six 11th grade students are still being held by Uzbek special services.
Last week, parents of the detained school students released an open letter to Uzbek President Islam Karimov, asking for help in releasing their children. The letter, in particular, said that officers from the Uzbek special services allegedly accused their children of being involved in drug trafficking and espionage.
