Iran to cut hikers loose.

[Sallow]

It was ridiculous these people were even arrested. This was a real travesty..

Lawyer: Iran sets bail for 2 jailed Americans
By NASSER KARIMI - Associated Press
»TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — An Iranian court Tuesday set bail of $500,000 each for two American men arrested more than two years ago and convicted on spy-related charges, clearing the way for their release a year after a similar bail-for-freedom arrangement for the third member of the group, their defense attorney said.

Lawyer: Iran sets bail for 2 jailed Americans - Yahoo! News

 

[waltky]

More duplicity from Iran...

Power struggle behind Iran's denial that US hikers will be released soon?
September 14, 2011 - The Iranian judiciary's denial that the detained US hikers were about to be released may reflect a power struggle between President Ahmadinejad and clerics.

A day after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that the release of the two US hikers held in Iran for more than two years on charges of espionage was "imminent," the country's judiciary denied his statement. According to Iran's PressTV, the judiciary is still examining pleas by the hikers' lawyers for their release on bail.

The judiciary's contradiction of President Ahmadinejad's announcement stems from his ongoing power struggle with the country's hardline ruling clerics, who control the courts – "a message that only its officials can set the timetables and conditions on any possible release and not the president," according to the Associated Press. "Information about this case will be provided by the judiciary. Any information supplied by individuals about this is not authoritative," said the judiciary in a statement published in the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency. The move was a "clear jab" at Ahmadinejad, according to the Guardian.

Ahmadinejad vs. the courts

Weeks ago, Ahmadinejad sparred with the courts over the sentencing of the hikers. Shane Bauer and Joshua Fattal received eight-year jail sentences in late August, after government officials made comments implying that they would be released soon – and after Ahmadinejad leaned on the court to give them a light sentence, The Christian Science Monitor reports.

Within the world of Iranian politics, however, a lighter sentence would have created the impression that the judiciary had caved to political pressure from the Ahmadinejad administration. Thus, the court’s reversal appears to represent more of a message to the president that the court acts independently of his desires and policy objectives than an affirmation of the two men’s guilt, according to analysts inside the Islamic republic. Coming amid increasing frustration throughout the Iranian government that Mr. Ahmadinejad has overstepped the bounds of his position, the sentencing is also likely designed as a check to the president’s power. “The judiciary doesn’t want to hand the government any victories or to be dictated to by the government,” says an analyst speaking by phone from Tehran on condition of anonymity.

Ahmadinejad has been trying to build up a power base that will last beyond the end of his presidency in 2013 by empowering the executive branch, sometimes at the expense of the the parliament and judiciary, and then placing allies in executive branch positions. "This year the president has fought significant political battles with Iran’s supreme religious leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, elements of the Revolutionary Guard, and critics from his own right wing," reports the Monitor's Scott Peterson, who has made more than 30 reporting trips into Iran during the past two decades. "Those key opponents do not want [Ahmadinejad] to have any victory, of any sort, especially on the international stage," writes Mr. Peterson.

Ahmadinejad's annual 'charm offensive'

 

[percysunshine]

So who gets the money?

If it walks like extortion, and quacks like extortion, guess what....

 

[High_Gravity]

I'll believe it when I see it, the Iranians are known for playing games like this.

 

[waltky]

Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, dey's free at last...

Iran releases 2 Americans jailed as spies
Sep 21,`11 - Two Americans jailed in Iran as spies have been released from Tehran's prison after more than two years in custody.

Associated Press reporters saw a convoy of vehicles with Swiss and Omani diplomats leaving Evin prison Wednesday with the freed Americans inside. They headed to Tehran international airport. Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal were freed after their Iranian lawyer obtained signatures of two judges on a bail-for-freedom deal. A $1 million bail - $500,000 for each one - was posted. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - The lawyer for two Americans jailed as spies in Iran said they will be released Wednesday after more than two years in custody following a court approval of a $1 million bail deal. The Iranian attorney Masoud Shafiei said he planned to go to Tehran's Evin prison to begin the procedure for the release of Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal. "The case is over," Shafiei said. "The court has ordered that they be freed on bail."

The two were arrested along the Iran-Iraq border in July 2009 and sentenced last month to eight years each in prison. A third American arrested with them, Sarah Shourd, was freed last year on bail. Shafiei said he would meet the two Americans at 3 p.m. local time at Tehran's Evin prison. Swiss and Omani diplomats were standing by at the prison, waiting to pick up the two Americans. Switzerland represents American interests in Iran because the U.S. has no diplomatic relations with Tehran and the prisoners are expected to be taken to Oman after their release.

The case of Bauer and Fattal, who were convicted of spying for the United States, has deepened strains in the already fraught relationship between Washington and Tehran. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was first to mention last week that the Americans' could be released, is in the United States and is scheduled to speak at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday. Shafiei said the bail of $500,000 for each of the men was posted after some last-minute bank problems were resolved. He did not say who put up the money. "There is no obstacle to their freedom now," the lawyer said. "It's only a matter of time before they are out of jail," he added. "They can go to the U.S. the way Sarah did."

MORE

 

[waltky]

Granny cries like a John Boehner atta wedding...

US hikers jailed for spying by Iran get married
6 May 2012 - Shane Bauer proposed to Sarah Shourd while the couple were in custody

Two US hikers who were held in Iran as alleged spies have got married. Shane Bauer and Sarah Shourd were held in 2009 after allegedly straying over the border from Iraq during a walking holiday. They got engaged in prison, using a shirt thread as a ring. Their friend Josh Fattal, who was held with them, acted as best man at the ceremony in California. Iran freed Ms Shourd on bail after 14 months, but the two men were held until September 2011. The couple are now said to be on their honeymoon, although the destination has not been disclosed.

In a statement posted on the Free the Hikers Facebook page, Ms Shourd said: "Now that this day has come, all I can do is close my eyes and fill with gratitude, for our freedom, for the love of so many generous people around the world, and for the very soil under my feet." "The day Shane proposed to Sarah in prison gave us all hope for the future," Mr Fattal said in a statement.

Mr Bauer said: "Becoming engaged to Sarah while we were in captivity allowed me to dream of a future that was not only secure, but also beautiful." The three friends said that if they had crossed into Iran, it had been by accident, but all three were sentenced to eight years in prison for spying and illegally entering the country.

BBC News - US hikers jailed for spying by Iran get married

 

[Saigon]

Such an amazing story...any bets on how long it will take to get a movie out?