U.S. Hikers in Iran Sentenced to 8 Years

Iranian authorities have sentenced two American hikers to eight years in prison for espionage, according to an unnamed source on Iran state television.

The men have been jailed since their arrest along the Iran-Iraq border in July 2009 with a female companion who was later freed. They are said to have 20 days to appeal Saturday’s convictions, which Iranian judicial officials handed down without having publicly presented any evidence. —BF

Los Angeles Times:

Their case was tried by a branch of the country’s politically charged Revolutionary Court, which handles national security cases and has been accused of failing to abide by international or even Iranian standards of jurisprudence, especially when it comes to defendants’ rights.

The two men’s lawyer, Massoud Shafei, said he had not been officially informed of any sentence for his clients. He and the two men’s supporters had hoped the men would be freed as a gesture of goodwill during the Islamic holy Month of Ramadan.

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AP

American hikers, from left, Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal at the Esteghlal Hotel in Tehran in May of last year. Shourd was released on bail a few months later.