SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Shane Bauer (left) and Josh Fattal have left Tehran's notorious Evin prison. (Photograph: -/AFP/Getty Images)
Iran Releases US Hikers Held as Spies
Iran's judiciary confirms that Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal have been released on $1m bail after two years in jail
Sep 21, 2011
Iran has freed two Americans held as spies for over two years on bail of $1m after Iraq and Oman mediated for their release.
The country's judiciary confirmed on Wednesday that Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, both 29, had been released a month after a court sentenced them each to eight years in jail for espionage and illegally crossing the border into Iran. The two men are reportedly preparing to return home.
"Branch 36 of Tehran's appeals court has agreed to commute the detention sentences of the two US nationals to release on a bail of $500,000," the judiciary said in a statement reported by Iran's state-run Press TV.
In July 2009, the men along with their friend, Sarah Shourd, 33, were arrested by Iranian security forces after walking across an unmarked border between Iran and Iraqi Kurdistan.
Shourd was released last September on health grounds, on bail of $500,000 (PS324,000) in a similar move. While in prison, Shourd became engaged to Bauer.
Their release comes a week after president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told two US media organisations that the pair had been granted a "unilateral pardon".
But the following day, Iran's judiciary cast doubt on the release.
It is not clear why Iran has finally decided to grant the two clemency, but analysts have interpreted the move as an attempt to reduce tensions with the international community at the time when negotiations over its nuclear programme are in a stalemate.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Iran has freed two Americans held as spies for over two years on bail of $1m after Iraq and Oman mediated for their release.
The country's judiciary confirmed on Wednesday that Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, both 29, had been released a month after a court sentenced them each to eight years in jail for espionage and illegally crossing the border into Iran. The two men are reportedly preparing to return home.
"Branch 36 of Tehran's appeals court has agreed to commute the detention sentences of the two US nationals to release on a bail of $500,000," the judiciary said in a statement reported by Iran's state-run Press TV.
In July 2009, the men along with their friend, Sarah Shourd, 33, were arrested by Iranian security forces after walking across an unmarked border between Iran and Iraqi Kurdistan.
Shourd was released last September on health grounds, on bail of $500,000 (PS324,000) in a similar move. While in prison, Shourd became engaged to Bauer.
Their release comes a week after president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told two US media organisations that the pair had been granted a "unilateral pardon".
But the following day, Iran's judiciary cast doubt on the release.
It is not clear why Iran has finally decided to grant the two clemency, but analysts have interpreted the move as an attempt to reduce tensions with the international community at the time when negotiations over its nuclear programme are in a stalemate.
Iran has freed two Americans held as spies for over two years on bail of $1m after Iraq and Oman mediated for their release.
The country's judiciary confirmed on Wednesday that Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, both 29, had been released a month after a court sentenced them each to eight years in jail for espionage and illegally crossing the border into Iran. The two men are reportedly preparing to return home.
"Branch 36 of Tehran's appeals court has agreed to commute the detention sentences of the two US nationals to release on a bail of $500,000," the judiciary said in a statement reported by Iran's state-run Press TV.
In July 2009, the men along with their friend, Sarah Shourd, 33, were arrested by Iranian security forces after walking across an unmarked border between Iran and Iraqi Kurdistan.
Shourd was released last September on health grounds, on bail of $500,000 (PS324,000) in a similar move. While in prison, Shourd became engaged to Bauer.
Their release comes a week after president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told two US media organisations that the pair had been granted a "unilateral pardon".
But the following day, Iran's judiciary cast doubt on the release.
It is not clear why Iran has finally decided to grant the two clemency, but analysts have interpreted the move as an attempt to reduce tensions with the international community at the time when negotiations over its nuclear programme are in a stalemate.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.