Trial of U.S. hikers in Iran to resume this week

Trial of U.S. hikers in Iran to resume this week

2011-05-10 02:21:50 GMT+7 (ICT)

TEHRAN (BNO NEWS) --- The three Americans facing charges of illegal entry into Iran will stand trial this week, Press TV reported.

Iranian Judiciary Spokesman Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei said the trial would be held as scheduled on May 11 unless the trio's lawyer Masoud Shafi'I requests the session to be adjourned and his request is accepted by the court.

Joshua Felix Fattal, Shane Michael Bauer, and Sarah Emily Shourd were arrested in the Western Iranian district of Marivan at the Malakh-Khur border point on July 31, 2009 for crossing Iran's border with Iraq illegally. They pleaded not guilty after Iranian authorities charged them of entering the country illegally and having links to U.S. intelligence.

Shourd, 32, was released on September 14 after posting a $500,000 bail, more than 14 months after her arrest. She was not present at the first session of the trial, but her lawyer submitted a statement on her behalf.

Asked whether Shourd planned to forfeit her bail and not appear in court on the day of her trial, Mohseni-Ejei said it was up to the judge to decide whether to try the 32-year-old in absentia.

According to the suspected spies' attorney, she has not responded to a court summons to return and stand trial.

The Tehran Prosecutor's office says it has "compelling evidence" that the detainees were cooperating with US intelligence agencies.

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