Two years, the Ukrainian sailor has been in prison of Tehran on trumped-up charges, but did not break and believed in a happy outcome. All this time for his freedom fought an 80-year-old grandmother: sold possessions in order to pay for lawyers, wrote to all authorities, was raised at meetings of countrymen and came to the presidential administration.

Thursday, January 10, home to Odessa returned Andrew seaman Beginners that 747 days spent in prison in Tehran on trumped-up charges – our compatriot was charged with incitement to suicide of a fellow sailor of the United States. According to the law of Iran, such an accusation is the reason for the death penalty, according to “Диалог.UA”.

Good news countrymen, said the head of the Odessa regional Council Anatoly Urban on his page in facebook e.

“Today, our fellow countryman, sailor, first mate Andrew made it back home after almost two years of detention in Iranian prison on charges of murder he did not commit. If a Sharia court found him guilty, Andrew could face the death penalty by hanging. But justice has triumphed!”, writes Urban. He thanked all those involved in the liberation of Odessa and said: this became possible thanks to the personal intervention of Petro Poroshenko.

We are talking about the fact that the head of state signed a decree to pardon Iranian student, previously arrested for espionage – he managed to exchange for sailor Andrew Novichkova.

Our fellow countryman has experienced over the years, many tests. While Andrew was in his tragic flight from a serious illness his mom died – he was not even able to say goodbye to her. But 80-year-old grandmother Elena Aleksandrovna two years did not give up and did everything possible for the liberation grandson. Odessa this courageous woman – a true heroine of the day.

“My grandson was threatened with shooting and hanging, was offered to convert to Islam to change the measure of restraint to softer. But Andrew refused, believing that he was accused unjustly,” the proud grandmother told reporters.

We will remind, the decree about pardon of Iranian, opened the way to freedom for Andrew Petro Poroshenko signed at the end of December 2018.