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Arrest of Russian national in Iran unrelated to espionage, spokesman says

Yulia Yuzik was detained due to visa issues, according to Iranian Government Spokesman Ali Rabiei
Iranian Government Spokesman Ali Rabiei AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi
Iranian Government Spokesman Ali Rabiei
© AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi

TEHRAN, October 7. /TASS/. The arrest of Russian reporter Yulia Yuzik is unrelated to espionage charges, Iranian Government Spokesman Ali Rabiei said during a press conference on Monday in response to a question by TASS.

"This issue is unrelated to espionage," he said. "As far as I am aware, she was detained due to visa issues."

On October 4, it was reported on social networks that Yuzik, who had earlier worked as a journalist in Iran, flew to Tehran on Thursday and was detained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an elite military force of the Islamic Republic.

The Russian Embassy in Iran informed TASS that Yuzik was arrested at a hotel in Tehran on October 2. The Iranian authorities had confiscated her passport on her arrival to the airport, reassuring her that Yuzik can have it back when she leaves Iran; however, she was detained at her hotel. The Russian embassy noted that she did not address the Russian diplomatic mission with concerns over her confiscated passport earlier.

Yuzik earlier worked as a reporter for Komsomolskaya Pravda and Russian Newsweek journal. Since 2003, she has been conducting journalistic investigations. She published a book Brides of Allah, which was released in nine countries.