One year later: 3 American hikers still imprisoned in Iran
World Thursday, July 29th, 2010Worldwide demonstrations are planned this weekend to protest Iran’s arrest of three American hikers one year ago.
Shane Bauer, 27, his fiancee Sarah Shourd, 31, and their friend Josh Fattal, 27, were hiking in the Zagros Mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan last summer when they accidentally strayed across the unmarked border into Iran, The Washington Post reported. They were arrested on suspicion of espionage and taken to the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran, AFP reported. According to the BBC, Shane and Josh have shared a cell; however, Sarah has been kept in solitary confinement, which her family fears will damage her mental and physical well-being.
Since the hikers were captured, their mothers — Cindy Hickey, Nora Shourd and Laura Fattal — have tirelessly campaigned for their release. They’ve sent letters to the U.S. and Iranian governments, calling their children’s continued imprisonment “unlawful and inhumane,” and asked the Iranian leaders to show mercy, The Associated Press reported. To date, the hikers have not been charged with a crime, and no trial date has been set.
Prior to their incarceration, Shane was a freelance journalist and photographer, Sarah was a teacher and Josh worked as an environmentalist. “These are people who are really interested in improving the world we live in; they are really passionate about building intercultural understanding,” Alex Fattal, Josh’s brother, told The New York Times. “…And here they are stuck in this politically charged nightmare. But we’re confident that it will end soon, and that it will end well.”
Demonstrators, some dressed as hikers, are expected to gather in front of Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York City on Friday. The hikers’ mothers and Hadi Ghaemi, director of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, will give speeches, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Protests in 30 cities are also scheduled to mark the one-year anniversary of the hikers’ capture on Saturday. Supporters who can’t attend the demonstrations are urged to sign a petition on Facebook or to include the hashtag #SSJ on Twitter posts.
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