Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Sarah E. Shourd was one of three American hikers who have been held on espionage charges in Iran since their arrest more than a year ago. Ms. Shourd, 32, was released on Sept. 14, 2010. Her two companions, Shane M. Bauer and Joshua F. Fattal, both 28, remained under arrest.
Press TV, the English-language satellite broadcaster, said Ms. Shourd was freed on $500,000 bail, although her lawyer was later quoted as saying her family could not afford it.
Concerns had been voiced about Ms. Shourd’s health. Her mother has said she had been denied treatment for medical problems, including a breast lump and precancerous cervical cells.
The three Americans were hiking in the mountainous Kurdish area of northern Iraq in 2009 when they apparently wandered into Iranian territory and were arrested by border guards. American officials have protested their detention and dismissed Iran’s claims of spying as preposterous.
The case coincided with mounting tensions over Iran’s nuclear program, culminating in the imposition of new sanctions on Iran by the United States, the United Nations and the European Union. Iranian officials had earlier suggested that the three Americans could be traded for Iranians being held by the United States.
From: http://ping.fm/neB6N
Press TV, the English-language satellite broadcaster, said Ms. Shourd was freed on $500,000 bail, although her lawyer was later quoted as saying her family could not afford it.
Concerns had been voiced about Ms. Shourd’s health. Her mother has said she had been denied treatment for medical problems, including a breast lump and precancerous cervical cells.
The three Americans were hiking in the mountainous Kurdish area of northern Iraq in 2009 when they apparently wandered into Iranian territory and were arrested by border guards. American officials have protested their detention and dismissed Iran’s claims of spying as preposterous.
The case coincided with mounting tensions over Iran’s nuclear program, culminating in the imposition of new sanctions on Iran by the United States, the United Nations and the European Union. Iranian officials had earlier suggested that the three Americans could be traded for Iranians being held by the United States.
From: http://ping.fm/neB6N