Let my people go

August 08, 2014

Deputy Foreign Minister Hassan Qashqavi (photo) says about 3,500 Iranian nationals are held in jails abroad and about a third of such prisoners are sent home each year as a result of the efforts of the Foreign Ministry.

Most of the prisoners are jailed on drug convictions. Qashqavi did not say why the Foreign Ministry works so hard to free prisoners held for crimes the Iranian Judiciary works so hard to put behind bars. Qashqavi said one of the tasks of the Foreign Ministry is see that Iranians arrested abroad have full access to lawyers to defend themselves, even if they would not have such access in Iran.