BBC Online :
Panama has ordered the release of 32 crew members of a North Korean ship seized six months ago in the Panama Canal, carrying Cuban weapons.
The captain and two other crew members will remain in detention as they are facing weapons trafficking charges.
Cuba said that the Soviet-era jet planes and weapons were being taken to North Korea to be repaired.
But the United Nations says there this was a breach of international sanctions against North Korea.
The Panamanian authorities said that taking the cargo through the canal endangered the country’s internal security.
Earlier this month, the ship’s owners agreed to pay $670,000 (£400,000) to have the vessel released.
Documents have been found showing that “the ship’s captain, the first officer and the political officer had been given instructions about what to do if the illegal shipment was detected,” prosecutor Nahaniel Murgas said.
