London ( CNN ) -- A pair of British journalists held by a Libyan militia have been handed over to the central government , British government sources said Wednesday in what one called a possible step toward their freedom . Nicholas Davies and Gareth Montgomery-Johnson were seized in late February , along with the Libyans who accompanied them , according to Human Rights Watch . Libya 's transitional government had been trying to get the militia to hand over the two men , the group said . The British sources said the men have now been transferred to the transitional government . `` We are pretty hopeful this is a prelude to their release , '' one of the sources , who asked not to be named while discussing sensitive issues , told CNN . Some militias that established themselves to fight former dictator Moammar Gadhafi have remained intact and outside government control since Gadhafi 's government fell in August . The Saraya Swehli militia accused the journalists , who work mainly for Iran 's state-run Press TV , of lacking proper immigration paperwork . The group told Human Rights Watch that it did not have faith in the central government , an HRW official told CNN in February .
`` We are pretty hopeful this is a prelude to their release , '' a source tells CNN . The U.S. State Department has been monitoring the situation in Yemen since March 2015, when Houthi rebels took over Sanaa and forced President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi into exile. A Libyan militia accused them of lacking proper immigration papers .