MOSCOW, October 4. /TASS/. Iran’s ambassador in Moscow Mehdi Sanai has had a meeting with Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov to say that Russian citizen Yulia Yuzik, detained in Tehran, has testified to the Iranian law enforcement authorities and would be released soon, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
"Mehdi Sanai confirmed that Yulia Yuzik was detained by law enforcement authorities for explanations concerning a number of questions to her and will be released soon," the Foreign Ministry said.
"On October 4, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov invited Iran’s ambassador in Moscow Mehdi Sanai to the Russian Foreign Ministry for clearing up the circumstances of the detention of Russian citizen Yulia Yuzik in Tehran. Mehdi confirmed that Yuzik had been detained by the law enforcers for providing explanations concerning a number of questions to her and would be released soon," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Earlier, the Russian embassy to Iran told TASS that Yuzik had been arrested at a hotel in Tehran on October 2. The embassy said Yuzik had failed to notify it of the problems related with her passport, taken away from her at Imam Khomeini Airport.
Yuzik worked as a reporter for the Rostov bureau of the Russian daily Komsomolskaya Pravda and Russian Newsweek magazine. Since 2003 she has been engaged in literary activities and investigative journalism. In 2003, she published a book called Brides of Allah, which has been published in nine countries since. She is also the author of another book called Beslan Dictionary.