You're reading: Trial of Ukrainians in Libya to continue on May 1

Kyiv, April 16 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The trial of the Ukrainian citizens who were detained in Libya on charges of helping the forces of the late dictator Muammar Gaddafi will continue on May 1, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson n Oleksandr Dykusarov has said.

He said that the third court session on the case of the Ukrainians took place in Tripoli on April 16. It was attended by all of the Ukrainian detainees, Ukraine’s ambassador to Libya and the consul.

Dykusarov said that prosecutors again read out the charges against the Ukrainians and asked them whether they agreed with them.

"All Ukrainian citizens denied their guilt and did not agree with the charges," he said.

He noted that during the meeting, prosecutors asked the court to postpone the consideration of the case due to request additional materials. The lawyers of the detainees also made the same request, explaining their desire by the need to be given more time to study the case materials.

"Thus, the next court hearing on the detained Ukrainians will be held on May 1," Dykusarov said.

He said that such a long time lag was linked to the fact that according to Libyan practice, court hearings could be held in the first three weeks of the month.

According to the Foreign Ministry, all Ukrainian citizens are in satisfactory condition, and representatives of the embassy will visit them on April 17.

News emerged on September 5, 2011, that more than 20 Ukrainian nationals had been detained in Libya. All claim to be civilian specialists who came to Libya to work in local oil-industry facilities. The Ukrainians were accused of acting as mercenaries for former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Three of these Ukrainians were released from captivity in Libya and returned home in March 2012 due to Ukrainian diplomats’ efforts, and the rest remained in detention.

There were a number of media reports claiming that the Ukrainians were in fact mercenaries who fought for Muammar Gaddafi and therefore were detained by the insurgents. The Foreign Ministry, however, has denied these reports repeatedly.

The trial of the Ukrainians started in Libya on April 4. A total of 25 people, including citizens of Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, are standing trial in Libya. All of them have been charged with restoring military hardware used by the Muammar Gaddafi regime "to exterminate the Libyan people."