Two American hikers were released today after they were imprisoned on espionage charges in the notorious Evin prison in Tehran last July, 2009.
It started when Shane M.Bauer, Joshua F. Fattal and Sarah E.Shourd were hiking near Northern Iraq´s border with Iran. They wondered unkowingly over the uncertain Iranian border when they were approached by an Iranian guard that immediatelly detained them.
"From the very start, the only reason we have been held hostage is because we are American," Bauer said, adding that "Iran has always tied our case to its political disputes with the U.S.". The two countries severed diplomatic ties three decades ago with the hostage crisis. The relationship between these two countries is also on its last threads due to Iran´s uranium enrichment program and thus as the U.S.´s nuclear threat in the Middle East.
Bauer added: "It was never about crossing the unmarked border between Iran and Iraq. We were held because of our nationality."
Ms. Shourd, 33, Mr Bauer´s fiancee (they became engaged while they were all in jail), was released in September, 2010 after she paid $500,000 in bail.
The Americans were isolated in prison and would go on repeated hunger strikes to receive letters. The Iranian authorities only let them talk with their families for 15 minutes in the full two years they were in prison. Their stay in the Iranian prison was uncertain until Mir Ahmadijenaldl promised last week that the men would be released in" a couple days".His statement was part of his strategy to gain favorable attention before he flew to New York to attend this weeks United Nations General meeting. On the contrary, Iran´s judiciary announced that the prisioners wouldn´t be freed as the president said.
Finally, they´re torture stopped when they were lead to another part of the prison where they met a diplomatic envoy from Oman who said: "Let´s go home".
To cross such poltically and fisically dangerous terrain was an ignorant move on the part of the americans and with such a fragile relationship between the US and Iran suspicions of espionage can only be expected by such a totalitarian country as Iran. Regardless, such treatment is beyond any humanitarian rights and should be not tolerated on the international playing field.
I completely agree with you Lucia, because it was a very stupid and irresponsible thing to do what the Americans did, taking in account the relationship between Iran and the U.S, but as you have said no one deserves to be treated that way.
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