Iran To Put American Student Hikers On Trial
From Voice of America:
Iranian officials are indicating two American hikers imprisoned in Tehran for more than a year on espionage charges will be put on trial next month.
After months of languishing in an Iranian prison, two American hikers, Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer, accused of espionage after allegedly crossing the Iranian border are due to be tried on November 6, according to their lawyer. A third hiker, Sarah Shourd, was released on bail, last month.
From analyst Scott Lucas:
University of Birmingham Professor Scott Lucas, who writes about Iran in the popular blog Enduring America, says the hikers have become part of a “wider political game” between the United States and Iran, centering around talks, and international prestige.
The mother of one of the students, Shane Bauer, has been particularly condemning:
Bauer’s mother, Cindy Hickey of Pine City, Minn., said a Tehran-based lawyer representing the hikers’ families told them her son and Fattal would stand trial Nov. 6.
“You don’t know how anxiously we’re awaiting that trial,” Hickey said. “The idea that there’s a trial at all is totally ridiculous, because these guys are not guilty of any crime. But at least it’s a sign that things are moving.”
Find more of Michael Orion Powell’s work at his blog.