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Sunday, August 21, 2011

Show trial ends: Americans to spend 8 years in an Iranian jail

Ahmadinajad and his Shi'ite cronies must be laughing all the way to the sharia-compliant bank.  Two innocent Americans, one from my neck of the woods are being punished and held as an example of what Iran will do to transgressors.  Actually Iran will use any excuse to abuse and humiliate Americans or any Westerner, these two men happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Here is more context from across the pond.


From the Mail Online August 20

Two American hikers will spend eight years in Iranian jail after straying into country


Two American men already held for two years in Tehran have been sentenced to eight years each in prison on charges of espionage and illegal entry into Iran, state TV reported on Saturday.



The announcement appeared to dash hopes for the imminent release of Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal after Iran's foreign minister suggested earlier this month that the trial could clear the way for their freedom.

The Americans deny the charges and say they were only hiking in a scenic and largely peaceful area of northern Iraq near the Iranian border.


The two men have been held since July 2009 after being taken into custody on the Iran-Iraq border.

A third American who was taken with them, Sarah Shourd, was released in September 2010 on $500,000 bail and returned to the United States. Shourd's case 'is still open,' the website irinn.ir reported.

Bauer and Fattal, who are both 28, have been sentenced to three years each for illegal entry into Iran and five years each for spying for the United States, the website quoted 'informed sources' at Iran's judiciary as saying. It was not immediately clear if that includes time served. They have 20 days to appeal the sentence.

Ten years instead of 8.  That's nice....

Their Iranian attorney, Masoud Shafiei, said he has not been notified of the verdict but he will definitely appeal the sentence if true.

'I've not been notified of any verdict in the case of my clients,' Shafiei told The Associated Press. 'This is a strong verdict inconsistent with the charges.'

Read it all

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