“Petr Jašek’s release is a great success of the Czech diplomacy. The negotiations have been obviously worth it, even though it was a long-distance run. I would like to thank everyone involved, especially to the Ambassador Veronika Kuchyňová Šmigolová and her colleagues from the Czech Embassy in Egypt for their tireless work. They visited Mr. Jašek in prison on a regular basis, dealt with Sudanese authorities and were present during court hearings. The Swiss Ambassador in Khartoum who devoted himself to the case also helped a lot. I’m really glad that we have managed to bring Petr Jašek back home today and that he can return to his family,” minister Zaorálek said.

In Khartoum, Minister Zaorálek met with Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Ibrahim Ghandour and First Vice-President Bakri Hassan Saleh. The visit followed upon previous negotiations of the Czech diplomats with their Sudanese counterparts. An agreement on the release of Petr Jašek also includes a deal on a re-start of Czech-Sudanese relations in the fields of economy, migration, fight of terrorism or the historical monuments protection.

On January 29, 2017 Petr Jašek was sentenced in Khartoum to 20 years imprisonment on charges of espionage besides other charges. Petr Jašek had been detained in Sudan since December 2015. Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs that dealt with the case intensely on the highest level since the very beginning was convinced that the stated judicial decision hadn’t been supported by the facts.

Within the next few days Petr Jašek will undergo several medical examinations and spend time with his family.