DUSHANBE/KHUAJND, May 16, Asia-Plus – All six Tajik teenagers that were detained by Uzbek border guards on April 27 for illegally crossing the border were released yesterday evening.
Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, Sherali Mirzo, the chief of the main border directorate within the State Committee for National Security, said that the schools students had been released as a result of long negotiations between Tajik and Uzbek border service representatives.
In the meantime, according to other sources, only four of them yesterday returned home, while return of two others is being delayed because their ID papers have not yet been presented. Officers from the Tajik power wielding structures say this issue will be settled as soon as possible.
We will recall that 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 other teenagers were 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.
