Iran sets trial date for two American hikers

[News_Editor]

Iran sets trial date for two American hikers

2010-11-23 06:47:10 GMT+7 (ICT)

LOS ANGELES (BNO NEWS) -- Masoud Shafii, the lawyer of the two American hikers held in an Iranian prison on espionage charges, on Monday announced that the Iranian authorities set February 6 as the trial date for both prisoners.

Shaffi said that he received a letter from Revolutionary Court Judge Abolqasem Salavati informing him that the trail date for his two clients, Shane Bauer and Joshua Fattal, both aged 28, was changed from earlier this month to early February.

Shaffi said he was disappointed with the decision of the court. Last week, the head of Iran’s human rights agency, Mohammed Javad Larijani, said that he doubted that the imprisoned Americans were spies and voiced optimism that their ordeal would end soon.

The third hiker, Sarah Shourd, 32, was released on September 14 after posting bail. She returned to the United States after meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at her own request to plea for the release of her fiancé Bauer and friend Fattal. She was welcomed back by the U.S. President Barack Obama.

Shourd, Bauer and Fattal, were arrested in July 2009 after they were hiking in Iraq's Kurdistan region and they crossed into Iran. Judiciary authorities charged the hikers of entering the country illegally and having links to U.S. intelligence, a claim which the defendants and their families have repeatedly denied.

Shafii added that Iranian authorities did not give him any reasons for the delay of the trial. He said that he attended the scheduled November 6 court hearing but authorities failed to bring the hikers and the session was canceled.

President Obama told Shourd he would continue to work and do everything possible to secure the release of the other hikers as his administration remains hopeful that Iran "will do the right thing" and release the other detained Americans in Iran.

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