US hikers release in Iran delayed again
September 19th, 2011 - 7:40 pm ICT by Aishwarya BhattTehran, Sept 19 (THAINDIAN NEWS) The American delegation who were in Tehran last week to negotiate for the release of the two American hikers have returned to Washington after having the words of Iran that the two will be released. The delegation made up of Christian and Muslim leaders spent six days in Iran in their bid to get the hikers released.
The two hikers have been in custody of the Iranian authorities since they were arrested more than 2 years ago. The two and a female hiker, Sarah who was later released, were captured by the Iranian security forces when they were found on the Iraqi-Iranian border.
The two were found guilty of espionage charges and handed three years sentence each. The two men, Bauer and Fattal, were also sentenced to five years on the charge of spying for the United States. The men, both 29 years, had insisted on their innocence since their arrest.
The national executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), Nihad Awad, who was part of the team that went to Tehran announced that, “Our (the team) goal has been to foster interfaith ties, build a system of understanding and ask the Iranian leadership to show compassion and mercy for the American hikers by allowing them to come home.”
Awad revealed that the group was in Tehran on the invitation of the Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
- Iran to release detained US hikers - Sep 13, 2011
- American Hikers released in Iran - Sep 21, 2011
- Iran sentences US hikers to eight years in jail - Aug 21, 2011
- Iran approves release of U.S. citizens convicted of spying - Sep 21, 2011
- Iran summons freed US woman for trial - Feb 01, 2011
- US hikers freed by Iran arrive in New York - Sep 26, 2011
- Iran frees two US hikers - Sep 21, 2011
- Muhammad Ali wants Iran to release the hikers - May 25, 2011
- Iranian foreign minister hopes for release of US hikers - Aug 07, 2011
- Iran spied upon from centres in neighbouring countries: MP - Nov 10, 2011
- US disappointed by Iran's sentencing of hikers: Clinton - Aug 22, 2011
- Iran summons freed U.S. hiker Sara Shourd for trial - Feb 01, 2011
- Iran frees female US hiker - Sep 14, 2010
- US hiker detained in Iran to be freed - Sep 10, 2010
- Jailed Americans in Iran get 20 days to appeal (Lead) - Aug 21, 2011
Tags: american delegation, american hikers, american islamic relations, cair, compassion, espionage, fattal, innocence, iranian authorities, iranian border, iranian leader, iranian security forces, mahmoud ahmadinejad, muslim leaders, national executive director, nihad awad, six days, team goal, tehran, two men