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21 Sep 2011 09:49

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World: American hikers freed from Iranian prison … finally

  • what After a process delayed by a judge’s vacation, American hikers Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal were reportedly freed from an Iranian prison this morning.
  • how The two men were freed on a $500,000 bond — each — but the source of the bond money is being kept a secret by the lawyer for the men. Anonymous donor?
  • why The Iranian government jailed the men (and a woman who was with them) on spying charges, but their main crime seems to be trespassing. Crisis over. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Sep 2011 10:37

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World: Iran: Jailed American hikers hit another snag in attempt to post bail

  • what Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, the American hikers stuck in Iran, won’t get out on a combined $1 million in bail until Tuesday … due to the process getting held up.
  • why One of the Iranian judges that needs to sign off on the hikers’ bail just so happens to be on vacation. Wait … they couldn’t find someone else to sign? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Sep 2011 11:31

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World: Iranian lawyer: Jailed hikers need judge’s signature to post bail

  • Everything is in place to post bail (for Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer) and to have them released, except for the signature of a judge.
  • Masoud Shafii, the lawyer for the American hikers jailed in Iran • Revealing that the fate of the two men rested in the hands of a judge — the $500,000 bail for each is in place, it’s just a matter of getting the judge to make a critical last step. Then Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal would be able to go home. Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi hoped the judiciary would so so. “We hope the judiciary will announce its decision in the near future … According to our information, the judiciary has the intention of reducing their sentences,” Salehi said. The judiciary, which is very conservative, recently contradicted the words of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, claiming that the hikers would not get released right away. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Sep 2011 10:14

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World: Iran contradicts Ahmadinejad on fate of jailed American hikers

  • The two Americans are going to stay in prison for a bit longer. Reports of their imminent release are wrong.
  • An Iranian judiciary official • Basically contradicting what Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said about the fates of American hikers Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer, who have been held by Iran for two years for what effectively amounts to trespassing. Was Ahmadinejad simply making nice with Ann Curry? Or sounding nice for the United Nations? If so, that’s really lame. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Aug 2011 11:07

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U.S.: Iran hikers’ families: Jail sentencing has been extremely difficult on us

  • Of the 751 days of Shane and Josh’s imprisonment, yesterday and today have been the most difficult for our families. Shane and Josh are innocent and have never posed any threat to the Islamic Republic of Iran, its government or its people.
  • A statement from the families of Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal • Expressing disappointment over the eight-year sentence imposed on the two men by Iran. The men received the jail sentence for spying and entering the country, but the hikers emphasize that they merely walked into Iran by accident. Meanwhile, the lawyer for the men, Masoud Shafiee, plans to appeal the tough sentence. “I still hope for my clients to benefit from Islamic kindness and compassion in this holy month (of Ramadan),” he said. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Aug 2011 15:18

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World: Jailed hikers likely didn’t know where terrain crossed into Iran

  • I think he went to [Iraqi] Kurdistan to cover the elections … and [during a hike] unfortunately didn’t know the ground he was walking on well enough to avoid crossing over whatever boundary was there.
  • New America Media executive director Sandy Close • Discussing the fate of Shane Bauer, one of the hikers who was sentenced to eight years in prison for accidentally crossing into Iran back in 2009. Bauer had planned to write a story about Iraqi Kurdistan, but those plans were put on hold after Bauer and his friends Josh Fattal and Sarah Shourd were arrested for accidentally crossing into Iran, and then getting caught. Shourd was let go on the promise she’d eventually come back, but Fattal and Bauer will spend a decade in jail. Where’s Bill Clinton to broker a deal when you need him? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Jul 2010 10:07

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World: Iranian scientist: The U.S. wanted to trade me for those hikers

  • Remember the Russian spy swap? Imagine an Iranian version. While Shahram Amiri sticks by his story that he was held by U.S. agents for over a year, this little detail stands out. Amiri reportedly was going to be used as a bargaining chip to get back hikers Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd, and Josh Fattal, who were captured by Iran about a year ago after hiking in the wrong place. If that’s true, it adds a new layer to the bizarre story. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

23 May 2010 20:53

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World: Also not “Lost”: Using captured hikers, Iran wants to barter with U.S.

  • Iran wants their diplomats back! The fate of hikers Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal has been under question for months, after they were detained last summer for crossing into the country. While they got to meet with their collective mothers last week, they’re still in custody and have been denied access to their lawyer repeatedly. Hillary Clinton has been calling for their release, too, and Iran may be willing to do a prisoner swap to get back some Iranian diplomats held in Iraq. We’ll believe it when we see it. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Nov 2009 10:31

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World: Iran’s charging three border-crossing American hikers with espionage

  • 100 days in captivity so far for the unlucky hikers source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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