American hikers Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer, imprisoned in Iran for more than two years, recounted their experiences in captivity. They were taken captive after illegally walking across the Iran-Iraq border, and accused of spying for their country in spite of their protests that they had gotten lost. A third hiker, Sarah Shourd, was released in 2010. Bauer proposed to Shourd while in captivity, and the two are now engaged.
In a news conference following their arrival on American soil, Bauer and Fattal described their experience, including their “total sham” of a trial. They are happy to be released, but expressed their disappointment at the numerous other innocents and political prisoners held by the Iranian government, some imprisoned simply for attending a protest or writing a pro-democracy blog.
