A Czech model sentenced in 2019 to more than eight years in a Pakistani prison for drug trafficking was released following her acquittal earlier this month.
Tereza Hluskova will be helped by the Czech Embassy to return home, Czech Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek tweeted on November 20.
Hluskova was arrested in January 2018 at the airport in Lahore after police found 9 kilograms of heroin in her suitcase as she was heading to Ireland via the United Arab Emirates.
The 25-year-old, who claimed someone had planted the drugs in her luggage, was convicted and sentenced in March 2019 to eight years and eight months in prison for the offense.
But an appeals court in Lahore in early November acquitted her because "the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt,” according to her lawyer, Saif ul Malook.
Drug trafficking is a serious offense in Pakistan, which lies on drug-smuggling routes from top opium producer Afghanistan to Central Asia, Europe, and North America.
Editor's Picks
Subscribe
Afghanistan/Pakistan Trending
1
Taliban Intensifies Crackdown On Dissent In Afghanistan
2Afghan Women Head To Olympics On Equal Footing
3Afghan Talks Kick Off In Doha Amid Anger Over Taliban’s Exclusion Of Women
4The Push To Recognize 'Gender Apartheid' As A Crime
540 Dead, Hundreds Injured After Heavy Rain, Storms In Eastern Afghanistan
6Fearful Of Losing Their Livelihoods, Pakistanis Oppose Latest Military Operation
7New Extremist Groups -- At Least In Name -- Enter Pakistan's Militant Scene
8Interview: Pakistani Islamist Leader Opposes Military Operation To Root Out Militants
9'Widespread Fear': Spate Of Killings In Pakistan's Restive Northwest Targets Journalists
10Homes Of Afghan Migrants Reportedly Attacked After Killing Of Iranian
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.
