The two American hikers and former UC Berkeley students detained for allegedly crossing the Iranian border more than two years ago were released early Wednesday morning on a $1 million bail by the Iranian authorities, The New York Times reported.
According to The Times, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal — who were seized in 2009 for crossing into Iran while hiking along the Iran-Iraq border with Bauer’s fiancee, Sarah Shourd — were seen by Associated Press reporters leaving Evin Prison in a diplomatic convoy including Swiss and Omani officials.
As of 7:44 a.m., Bauer and Fattal had been turned over to the custody of Omani officials, according to CNN. A couple hours later an airplane carrying Fattal and Bauer left Tehran for Muscat, Oman.
The families of the two hikers released the following statement Wednesday after the pair had left Tehran:
“Today can only be described as the best day of our lives. We have waited for nearly 26 months for this moment and the joy and relief we feel at Shane and Josh’s long-awaited freedom knows no bounds. We now all want nothing more than to wrap Shane and Josh in our arms, catch up on two lost years and make a new beginning, for them and for all of us. For now, we especially would like to thank His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman and his envoy Dr. Salem Al Ismaily; our lawyer, Mr. Masoud Shafiei; and the Swiss Ambassador to Iran, Livia Leu Agosti, and her colleagues, for working to make today a reality. At the same time, our deep gratitude extends to many, many others, from governments, institutions and noted campaigners to tens of thousands of people around the world. Their support for Shane, Josh, Sarah and our families has sustained us and comforted us throughout this time. Our appreciation for the warmth and love of our fellow human beings is unending and we know that Shane and Josh will always be grateful.”
The release of the men comes about a week after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad promised that they would be freed as a humanitarian gesture “in a couple of days.”
A day later, Iran’s judiciary contradicted these statements, saying the Americans’ release was not imminent.
Last month, Bauer and Fattal, after more than two years of detention in Iranian prison, were convicted of espionage and sentenced to eight years in prison. The two men each received five years imprisonment for espionage and three additional years for allegedly entering the country illegally. The conviction was widely condemned by world leaders as unnecessarily harsh.
Stephanie Baer is the city news editor.
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$1 million bail, what BS! It is a simple case of forced ransom for innocent, yet idiotic, hikers. They never should have crossed the border in the first place, but to claim their release is “humanitarian generosity” is pure garbage. If they wanted to release them based upon pure generosity, they wouldn’t have required a $1 million dollars for their release. I am thankful that these truly stupid young men are back home safe and sound, but will never beleive their release was due to any Iranian generosity, but rather their desire to obtain more financial aid to fund their Jihad against our people and our country. Now, the real question will be just what will the sultan of Oman expect from the U.S. in return for the monies he spent to garner the release of these Americans?
Memo to Cal kiddies:
Watch where you hike. These DFers are lucky they got out. Being smart and having common sense/ good judgement are two different things.
Next hiking destination: The China-North Korea border.
We will see if any learning has occurred.
Shane Bauer today answered my own question as to whether his incarceration in Iran had taught him anything. Here is his response today after his plane touched down in Oman:
“Two years is too long in a prison,” Bauer said in a brief statement on behalf of the two. “We sincerely hope for the freedom of other political prisoners and other unjustly imprisoned people in America and in Iran.”
“Unjustly imprisoned people in America?” Now that’s gratitude for you. What country does this anal passage think got him out of Islamofascist incarceration.
As for the knuckelhead Neeneer’s comments below, a majority of the Palestinian people voted in a fair and free election for Hamas, which you rightfully call “sick nut-jobs.” And according to a recent Palestinian poll, a good percentage of Arabs living in the West Bank support a “violent solution” to the making of a new Palestinian state. This is the sort of fascist Muslim society Shourd and Bauer have championed in print. And yes, America–unlike the Islamic world–gives them the freedom of expression to spout such sewage…
Well, Iran got $1.5 million ransom total for the 3, but they probably did more than $1.5 million in damage to their international reputation, so not that smart of them.
Although I should add that Georgia is doing more than $1.5 million in damage with their “justice” system today.
yeah, guest below has a good point.
it’s not “bail” as we understand that term in the US when they
a) have already been convicted and sentenced,
b) the Iranian gov’t has declared their release to be a humanitarian gesture
It’s basically extortion from the US taxpayer, if the claim is true.
Did the US Dept of State confirm the payments? (and would you believe them if they did?)
Glad you made it back home but seriously that is the risk you run in going to the Iran/Iraq border.
If you wanted to do some sightseeing you should have joined the US Army:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:US_Soldiers_climbing_the_Ziggurat_of_Ur.jpg
“on a $1 million bail”
It’s not bail. Defendents post bail as a pledge to return for trial. Convicts can’t bail themselves out of prison.
Indeed. It’s more of a ransom than anything.
Payoff
Let’s see if Bauer and Shourd have learned anything. After all, prior to their incarceration in Iran, they wrote anti-Israel pieces supporting Palestinian Islamofascism for the loony left press service New American Media while they were living happily in Damascus under the tyranny of Assad’s Syria…
“they wrote blah blah… ”
so you’re saying they previously exercised their 1st amendment right to free speech… and what exactly is your point?
You implicitly equate Palestinian Statehood in any form with a totalitarian regime. Can you predict the future, Mr. Nostradamus-tips?
Is Hamas a bunch of sick whack-jobs? Yes!
Do most Palestinians want to live under an oppressive regime like that?
Well the answer has to be No, b/c on the whole no group of humans is going to answer yes. This is a matter of common sense, and nothing more.
(Did the Russian people particularly enjoy the brutalities of Stalinism? OK, then.)
Who is it that has been propping up brutal dictators in the Middle East for decades? Do you think Iran is the only player in that game?
Joe Biden loves him some Mr. Mubarak!
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Backchannels/2011/0127/Joe-Biden-says-Egypt-s-Mubarak-no-dictator-he-shouldn-t-step-down
Are Both Yemen and Syria in bed with the US on extraordinary rendition? Yep!
http://original.antiwar.com/fisher/2010/06/22/canadian-rendition-probe/
http://accountabilityfortorturenc.org/videos.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4878096.stm
‘sup now? myopic-tips?
No Neeneer, we can’t absolutely predict the future. But by looking at the Palestinian past, where a democratic election led to the coming of power of the people you call rightfully “a bunch of sick nut-jobs”–Hamas–leads us to conclude that democracy in the Arab world in general and amongst the Palestinians in particular is akin to smearing lipstick on a sow. After all, the Palestinians in a fair and free election voted for a political leadership whose charter calls for genocide vs Jews both in Israeli and elsewhere in the world.
This is the first time since WW II that an election has brought into power a political order that advocates genocide. And it is logical to conclude that those who champion the Palestinian cause are so ethically challenged that they support this abomination…