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U.S. hikers’ release underway in Iran

By Laura Rozen | The Envoy – Wed, Sep 21, 2011

Two American hikers held for over two years in Iran were in the process of being released on Wednesday, Iran's state media reported.

Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, both 29, were handed over to an Omani official, CNN reported. Swiss and Omani diplomatic vehicles had been waiting for them outside Tehran's Evin prison Wednesday as their release paperwork was being processed, the BBC reported. See the Associated Press video below reportedly showing the Swiss ambassador's convoy driving Bauer and Fattal from the prison grounds.

The Iranian Judiciary "has confirmed the release of two U.S. nationals, who had been convicted of illegal entry and espionage in Iran, on bail," Iranian State TV reported, according to USA Today.

Earlier Wednesday, the two men's Iranian defense lawyer said the paperwork for their release was being processed but he had not yet seen them. "Maybe five minutes, maybe three hours. I have done my job," Masoud Shafiee told journalists Wednesday, Reuters reported. (See the AP video report on their lawyer's comments below the jump).

"There is no obstacle to their freedom now. It's only a matter of time before they are out of jail."

The Omani Emir had earlier sent a plane to Tehran and the men are expected to possibly fly to Oman before returning to the United States.

Fattal and Bauer (pictured at a pre-trial hearing, top right) were detained by Iranian authorities in July 2009 along with their friend Sarah Shourd while the three University of California, Berkeley, graduates were hiking in Kurdish northern Iraq. Shourd, who had been held in solitary confinement for more than a year, was freed last September on humanitarian grounds because of health problems. But after many unexplained procedural delays, Fattal and Bauer were convicted last month in an Iranian court on charges of espionage. Each man was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Their families and American officials insist that Fattal and Bauer are innocent, and have repeatedly implored Iran to free the two men on humanitarian grounds.

Their return comes as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has arrived in New York to attend events surrounding the opening session of the UN General Assembly this week.

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All Comments

84 comments

J • 8 mths ago
Where's is the million dollars coming from? Do we have to pay for their stupid mistake also?
- Tom G 8 mths ago
  Oman paid it. That's a country.
- Dave 8 mths ago
  A mistake is running a red light. This was a thought out decision.
- Erin 8 mths ago
  A mistake is forgetting to take your birth control pill. Running a red light is an accident.
More

Reply
Sheila • 8 mths ago
Who is paying the $2M bail? Hope not the taxpayers. People should have enough common sense "not" to hike in those areas. There are plenty of beautiful places around the world to hike. If they choose to go there I think they shoud live with the consequences and not expect the US taxpayers to foot the bill for every dope who thinks they do not have to use their brains, and they just go off like idiots and do what idiots often do, get in trouble. How about their lawyers fees, etc. etc. who is paying for that for these dopes?
- the truth 8 mths ago
  They're CIA...
ned • 8 mths ago
Iran please keep these Obama voters!!!!
CaringSoul • 8 mths ago
Like I said before ----you just can not fix stupid.......Hiking in Iran......you have to be missing a few bricks from the pile.........
- Road Paved with Liberals 8 mths ago
  No one could be half as dumb as you.
- CONNIE 8 mths ago
  Road payed with liberals must be from the same school as the idiot hikers. lol
Michael • 8 mths ago
Hold there president captive here for humanitarian reasons in his own country :) sounds like a plan. Go go go
- TY COBB 8 mths ago
  please learn how to spell. your use of there should have been "their". moron
- Michael 8 mths ago
  I think you replied to the wrong message but since I have you in my sights. Please learn how to troll as your use of punctuation, capitalization, run on , etc.. Is pathetic TY Cobb I hope you are sterile and your mother was beaten for having such a dumba$$ child. If you ever make it above a IQ of 40 feel free to post,reply with something worth reading. Until then just look at the pictures and shut the hell up !! Move along nothing to see here..
michael • 8 mths ago
this is plainly iran showing the u.s. that 'WE CAUGHT YOUR SPIES" and the u.s. squirming and spinning the story.
J500D • 8 mths ago
they could have been hung
- Ed 8 mths ago
  Well that would have taught them more than Berkley. Probably would have taught everyone at Berkley something also. More I think about it the more I like it.
U***S50 • 8 mths ago
This is a perfectly orcheatrated move by the Iranina Prime minister who is in NY. He will use this as a platform for this ego and his speech. This is a insane man who will be next on line to be thrown out.
Tracie • 8 mths ago
Shame on them for going on "vacation" to one of our most hated enemies homeland.... I'm sorry, but I do not feel bad for them in the slightest. There are a million places on planet earth to hike that are not in the middle of a damn WAR!!! Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Play with fire and you will get burned. Period.
Fat Mat • 8 mths ago
I wonder if their next "hike" will be in North Korea...sheesh!
sharon • 8 mths ago
So who paid the $1,000,000 or whatever ramsome for them and for the lady who was already released? Why do I have the feeling it was the USA taxpayer? I feel badly for them, however, where is personal responsibility and common sense? Why would they think hiking in that area was a good idea and why should the average american taxpayer pay for their foolishness?
amy hardel • 8 mths ago
Where does the money come from? I bet they hate America, but guess who did everything they could to get them out? AMerica! Guess what, I'll never be detained in Iran because I would never go hiking there!
SJ • 8 mths ago
I'd like to know who's paying this million? Is it the tax payer? Hell this is nothing more than extortion. If we give this country any assistance money wise as we do a hell of a lot of other country's, then it should totally stop. If the US Government would stop giving assistance to all those country's aboard then we wouldn't be in the shape economically as we are. Hell who decides those things. I'VE NEVER VOTED ON SUCH A BILL. Have you?
michael • 8 mths ago
right! these guys are hikers, and i'm going to get all my social security money.
Power • 8 mths ago
Maybe they their next hiking place could be pakistan and afganistan border hahaha cleaver boys:::
CC Rider • 8 mths ago
They should get their money back from Berkeley. They obviously didn't learn anything... What kind of a nutball chooses to go hiking on the Iraq-Iran border in this day and age.
cv • 8 mths ago
All three of these idiots could have gotten their heads chopped off or hung. Who did pay for their releases? We have a right to know since it was most likely the taxpayers. Stupid is what stupid does. Some arrogant liberal kids thinking they can do whatever they want to. Why would they choose that hostile area? Duh!
darrylk • 8 mths ago
"Hey let's go hiking in Northwestern Pakistan". Now that US taxpayers have bailed our stupid #$%$ out.
John • 8 mths ago
I'm sure they are happy to be free, I have to agree with almost everyone else here though, They deserve dumb shit of the world award for deciding go hiking along the border of iraq and iran. Hopefully the last two years have given them time to think about making bad choices. Maybe the next trip could be to visit nuclear reactors in Japan.
BillB • 8 mths ago
Oh great. Just what we need. Two more idiots among us.

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