Italian authorities have released Libyan athletes Tariq Al-Amami and Mohannad Khashiba, according to a statement issued by the Libyan Embassy in Rome.
The embassy said Libyan Ambassador Mohannad Saeed Younis received the two citizens on Saturday at the embassy headquarters in Rome, as part of ongoing follow-up on the case widely known in the media as the “football players case”.
The embassy added that arrangements had been completed for their temporary accommodation and basic needs until the remaining legal and administrative procedures are finalised ahead of their return to Libya.
It also confirmed that coordination is continuing with Italian judicial authorities and the defence team to follow developments in the case and monitor the related legal procedures.
The release comes months after Libya’s outgoing Government of National Unity announced in February that the Ministry of Justice had reached an understanding with the Italian side to allow Libyan consulates in Italy to begin implementing the prisoner transfer agreement signed between the two countries.
The agreement allows the transfer of convicted persons who have received final sentences, provided that at least one year remains of the sentence, both countries approve the transfer, and the offence is considered a crime in the state to which the convicted person is being moved.
The deal followed years of negotiations between Libya and Italy over a case dating back to late 2015, when an Italian court sentenced four young Libyans to prison terms of up to 30 years after accusing them in cases related to human trafficking and the deaths of migrants.
Those rulings were later challenged by legal experts and human rights organisations, which raised concerns over the evidence, proceedings, and wider circumstances of the case.
The Libyan Embassy said it would continue to follow the file until all relevant procedures are completed and the two athletes are able to return home.