MOSCOW, August 14 (RAPSI) - Sentence passed on Alexander Shadrov and Vladimir Dolgov, who are accused by the new Libyan government of helping Muammar Gaddafi's regime, has been annulled, Russian Embassy in Lybia representative Ilya Rayevsky told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.

The decision does not mean that they are acquitted, Rayevsky said. "The two Russians are no longer convicted defendants, they are detainees," he added.

The two Russians, along with 19 Ukrainians and three Belarusians, were detained in the fall of 2011 by Libya's National Transitional Council. They have been charged with having allegedly participated in the hostilities on the side of the ousted leader, Gaddafi.

On February 4, 2013, the Libyan authorities announced that they had sentenced Shadrov, who was also accused of coordinating the group, to life. The others, including the other Russian, Dolgov, were sentenced to 10 years in prison and correctional labor.

The verdict handed down to Shadrov and Dolgov has been appealed.