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Foreign journalists freed day after Libyan court sentence

Arab World Materials 18 May 2011 23:52 (UTC +04:00)
Four foreign journalists captured in Libya in early April were freed from prison Wednesday, a day after being found guilty for illegally entering the country
Foreign journalists freed day after Libyan court sentence

Four foreign journalists captured in Libya in early April were freed from prison Wednesday, a day after being found guilty for illegally entering the country, dpa reported.

The Tuesday ruling had called for the four journalists -James Foley and Clare Gillis of the United States, Nigel Chandler of Britain and Manu Brabo of Spain - to be incarcerated for one year and to pay a fine of about 164 dollars.

But witnesses Wednesday said the four were seen Wednesday at the Rixos hotel in downtown Tripoli. A government spokesman said they could leave the country as soon as they paid their fines.

The journalists were seized on April 5 after entering Libya across its eastern border. They were charged with illegally entering the country.

A South African national, who freelanced as a photojournalist, has been missing for nearly six weeks in Libya. Additionally, at least four Libyan journalists have gone missing since the uprising began three months ago.

Brabo is a freelancer for the photo service epa and the Spanish news agency Efe. Foley works for the Global Post online magazine. Chandler and Gillis are both freelancers.

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