Reasons of Azerbaijani citizens detention in Iran made public

Azerbaijani citizens detained in Iran are accused of illegal actions and illegal meetings, Iranian ISNA agency reports with reference to unnamed source in the country's Foreign Ministry.

According to the report, at present, Iranian judicial bodies are holding investigation.

Research fellow of the Institute of Literature named after Nizami Ganjavi of the National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), scientist-orientalist Khalida Khalid and her assistant Shamkhal Huseynov are arrested in Tabriz on Tuesday by employees of the Ministry of Information Security and Intelligence of Iran, Iranian media outlets reported earlier.

Consulate General of Azerbaijan presented a note to the Iranian Foreign Ministry in connection with the detention in Iran of Azerbaijani citizens. Consulate General sent a note on this matter to the relevant authorities in Iran, which demanded the Iranian side to clarify the details of the detention of Azerbaijani citizens and provide information on their location in the near future.
The Institute of Literature of Azerbaijan's Academy of Sciences has confirmed that the aforementioned persons are employed by the institute.

Deputy Director of the Institute of Literature of the National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) Muharram Gasimli confirmed reports of the detention of the Institute's Junior Research Fellow Khalida Khalid in Iran on Wednesday.

Khalida left on April 26 without a permit. She neither consulted with the leadership of the Institute about her departure, nor arranged a business trip, he said.