TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham said the country has intensified diplomatic efforts to meet and free an Iranian citizen jailed in the Republic of Azerbaijan over alleged espionage charges.



Afkham stated on Sunday that Tehran’s consular efforts and consultations are now in progress to release Bahram Feizi, who has been sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment in Azerbaijan on trumped-up charges of espionage and attempted move against the Israeli mission in Baku.

The spokeswoman added that an Iranian consul has been allowed by Azeri officials to meet the Iranian inmate, noting that Feizi “did not have a satisfactory health condition”.

Afkham also made clear that the ultimate responsibility for the Iranian prisoner’s health lies with the Azerbaijani authorities, and added that Baku should “take necessary measures to ensure Feizi's health and freedom”.

Earlier on October 11, the Baku Court on Grave Crimes had sentenced Bahram Feizi to 15 years in prison on the alleged involvement in espionage against the Israeli embassy in Baku.

Shortly afterwards, Iran’s Embassy in Baku dismissed the ruling by the Azeri court and expressed the hope that the appeals court would overturn the verdict.

“The Baku Court on Grave Crimes should address such cases in the presence of an authorized lawyer and the representative of the Iranian Embassy,” Seyyed Mohammad Ayatollahi, an official with the Iranian Embassy said at the time.

By Tasnim News Agency 

 

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