IRAN: American hikers' trial delayed -- again -- without explanation

Trial has been delayed again for two Americans detained in Iran for more than 21 months after being detained during a hiking trek along the Iran-Iraq border.

According to their lawyer, neither Shane Bauer, a freelance journalist who has contributed to the Los Angeles Times, nor his pal Joshua Fattal, were even brought to the courtroom on Wednesday, which was the next scheduled hearing in their ongoing trial on security charges. 

"The hikers were not fetched from the jail to court," said Masoud Shafii, their Tehran attorney, who said he submitted a complaint to the court. 

Authorities offered no explanation for the delay. Neither did they announce a new trial date. They're being held inside Tehran's infamous Evin Prison as they face charges of espionage and trespassing.

The two 28-year-olds, along with Bauer's fiancee Sarah Shourd, were arrested and jailed by Iranian authorities on July 31, 2009, along the unmarked, mountainous border separating western Iran from the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq. Shourd was released in September on $500,000 bail. 

Diplomats and journalists waited for more than four hours in front of the court. An official from the Swiss Embassy, which represents U.S. interests in Iran in the absence of formal relations between the two countries, said a request to attend any court session had been rejected. 

Iran demands that several alleged arms smugglers now being held in U.S. prisons be released, although it has rejected any proposed exchange of prisoners. 

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-- Ramin Mostaghim in Tehran

Photo: A picture released by Iran's state-run Press TV on Feb. 6 shows U.S. hikers Shane Bauer, left, and Joshua Fattal, detained in Iran on spying charges, attending the first session of their trial at the Tehran Revolutionary Court in the Iranian capital. Credit: AFP / Getty Images

Comments

[greg]

Before you haters tear these kids apart, know what you are talking about. Did you know Mr. Baur had produced a documentary on Dafur, his fiance worked in the past helping impovershid people in Cali, they were in I think Saudi or Turkey working over there, and learning the lanquage to help people more, and they are very intelligent people, who obviously have some compassion in their hearts. So ask your selves this who have you been kind to lately? Armchair Americans!!!!

[sam]

you give us our terrorist gun runners and we may give you the lost and found in return oh sorry spies.
thank you.

[SG]

I'm sure all of you who say we shouldn't do anything to help them would still be singing the same 'anti-government' tune even if it was one of your own family members captured there. Whats good for the goose is good for the gander.

[abolish stupidity]

"Hey, let's go hiking! We can go anywhere in the world we want to. OK, lets hike a border between two terrorist supporting countries; one that has a history of cutting heads off Americans and the other a history of kidnapping Americans". They made their decision, they have to live with it, maybe die for it..... and not one penny of American tax $$ should be used to help them!! Its called accountability for your bad decisions.

[avi esfandi]

I could go one of two ways on this: Go into Iran and kick some serious mullah-ass
or Leave these idiots as wards of the Taliban state. Either way I could give two sheets.

[DJ]

I wouldn't go hiking within ten miles of the USA-Mexico border much less Iraq-Iran's for Gods sake!

[PGelsman]

Who in their right mind goes hiking in a WAR ZONE?????

Let them rot, I don't want my tax dollars going to fetch them.

[Ray]

Since they wanted to go there so bad, they can keep em there.

[Dean]

Joe, I'm about as conservative as they come but what the heck does "liberalism" and "Berkeley" have to do with two American citizens languishing in a thugocracy's prison.? Your desire to see these two Americans dead at the hands of these creeps in Iran is disgraceful.

The State Department needs to step it up and start earning their keep 0n this one.

[umartma]

Two morons with no common sense. Stupidity is costly and painful.

[kerstalis]

Sounds like a job for Seal Team 6!

[Joe]

I hope the Iranians kill these two losers. Liberalism is a mental illness and these "hikers" are the poster children for involuntary commitment. It is no coincidence that these losers are Berkeley graduates.

[garryowen]

When is Obama going to do something for these kids?It's a disgrace and shows how far we have fallen under our fearless leader.

[Pete]

A strong American president would tell Iran to release them, Obama is a coward for doing nothing.

If they were black, Obama would probably be doing more about it. He's a racist puppet tool, completely incompetent to be a leader.

[umish katani]

Hey they held how many Americans for how long under Jimmy Carter in the 70's ... or have we already forgotten that the Iranian are kidnappers, murderers and terrorists. They use humans as fodder for negotiations and shields against the west. They have no scruples or ethics and use religion as justification for their tyrrany. Bottom line: The Iranian mullas, ayatollahs and all of similar ilk are cowards....

[trot]

The question i have is: what were they doing trekking over there in the first place? Don't they follow the news? Now, the government has to expend tax payer resources to supervise and see that they are "treated with care" by Iran.