US hikers jailed in Iran for spying to appeal against sentence

Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal’s eight-year sentence has put further strain on relations between Iran and Washington The lawyer for two Americans convicted of spying in Iran has said he will appeal against their eight-year sentences. The verdict shocked their families, who hoped to see them freed after more than two years already spent in Evin, Tehran’s most notorious prison. Shane Bauer, 28, and Josh Fattal, 29, were arrested in 2009 on the border with Iraq, where they said they were hiking. They were found guilty of illegal entry and espionage at their closed trial , which ended on 31 July. The verdict is likely to further strain Iran’s already poor relations with Washington. “We have 20 days to appeal and I will try my best to use all legal means to annul the sentence,” lawyer Masoud Shafiee told Reuters. “It was my belief, and still is, that they are innocent and I have not seen any evidence that shows they are guilty.” “Josh and Shane were informed about the verdict yesterday,” Shafiee said on Sunday, adding that he had not seen them in person. The two years they had already served would count towards their eight-year sentences, he said. Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, expressed deep disappointment at the sentences: “We continue to call and work for their immediate release – it is time for them to return home and be reunited with their families.” Bauer and Fattal’s families said in a statement: “We appeal to the authorities in Iran to show compassion and allow them to return home to our families without delay.” Bauer’s girlfriend, Sarah Shourd, 32, was also arrested but was released on $500,000 bail in September and returned home to California, where she has been campaigning for their freedom. Confirming a leaked report of the sentence, the Tehran prosecutor-general, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, told a news conference that no verdict had been passed on Shourd, who did not return to Iran to stand trial. Iran Middle East United States Hillary Clinton guardian.co.uk

Posted by on August 21, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.