Iranian authorities release two Azerbaijani poets

Iran has freed from prison two young Azerbaijani poets - Farid Gusein and Shakhriyar Gadjizade, said Mail Gadjizade, Shakhriyar's father.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the poets Farid Gusein and Shakhriyar Gadjizade had received an official invitation to Tehran to attend the presentation of the collection of poems by a local poet; and on the way back on May 2 were arrested in Tabriz. On June 21, the Iranian authorities acknowledged their arrest. Nariman Orudjev, Vice Consul of Azerbaijan, was allowed to visit them only on July 26, when the poets told him that they were accused of visiting Iran without a permit of the authorities of this country. On August 7, the hearing of their case was held.

The verdict was to be read out on September 10. Today, however, Farid Gusein and Shakhriyar Gadjizade were released and are now at the Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Tabriz, as Mail Gadjizade told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent; however, he does not know any details yet.

So far, no comments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan are available. At the same time, the release of Azerbaijani poets was confirmed by a source from the Azerbaijani Writers' Union, who referred to the information of the above Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Tabriz.

It is noteworthy that the poets were released on the eve of the upcoming on September 5 visit of Vice-President of Iran Hassan Mousavi to Baku.