16 Iranian sailors detained in Tanzania return home after 10 years

Chabahar, IRNA – The sixteen Iranian sailors arrested in Tanzania have come back home thanks to efforts made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Dar es Salaam. Hassan Karabi, the head of the representative office of Iran’s Foreign Ministry in the Chabahar region, told IRNA on Saturday that the sailors from Sistan and Baluchestan Province were sailing in the Indian Ocean 10 years ago when they were arrested by Tanzanian police and spent so many years behind bars in Dar es Salaam. Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic Hossein Amirabdollahian raised the issue of the sailors amid his recent trip to Tanzania and paved the way for their early release from prison, Karabi noted. Following efforts made by Iran’s embassy in Dar es Salaam, the Iranian sailors were freed from the jail and allowed to depart from Tanzania last Wednesday, he added. According to the official, coordination between the representative office in Chabahar and the Iranian embassy in Dar es Salaam paved the ground for their return. The two entities provided the sailors with return tickets as soon as possible and they arrived at Imam Khomeini Airport early Saturday, then they are now on board to return to Chabahar and Konarak areas, he said. Initially, Iran had about 22 fishermen imprisoned in Tanzania for trespassing the country's territorial borders. In November 2020, eight Iranian sailors who spent four years in prison in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, were released and returned the southeastern port of Chabahar in Sistan and Baluchestan Province. Follow us on Twitter @IrnaEnglish