In 2009, 3 individuals hiked in the area comprising of Turkey, Iraq and Iran called Kurdistan. The majority of individuals who live you will find the Kurds. That is how it got its name. All of the hikers were accused of being spies and of espionage as they were taken in by the Iranian law enforcement. Authorities keep changing their minds by at first saying they’d release one, then not, and then really did release a hiker, Sarah Shourd. The U.S. wouldn’t pay the $500,000 that Iranian authorizes demanded for her release. They did not release all of the hikers though. One of them is her fiancé in there.
Hiking with intent to spy
All backpackers worked in the Middle East before being captured. These are Sarah Shourd, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal. Bauer is the one Shourd is engaged to. Kurdistan is known to be one of the most free part of the southern parts of Iraq when it comes to conflict. This is why they were vacationing there. The Nation reports that the hikers ran into Iranian police and were detained right outside of Zalem, a village in Iraqi Kurdistan. Though the border isn’t easily identified, locals in the area claim that Iranian forces regularly enter Iraq, where they lack jurisdiction.
One hiker released
Several weeks ago, the Iranian government announced it would release Sarah Shourd on $500,000 bail, which the U.S. government said it would not pay. After making the statement, the government changed its mind in Iran. The, says CNN, Sarah Shourd was announced to be released on bail as a result of health reasons. Washington and Tehran technically have no relations, and also the Swiss have been acting as liaison since 1979. The bail was supposedly deposited into a banking account in Oman. Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal weren’t as lucky. They are nevertheless in Iranian custody.
No case for espionage
Sources said the backpackers did not cross to the Iranian border ever. It has been said by many from the area that Iranian police and intelligence operatives cross the border to detain individuals continuously within the country. A simple accidental trespassing charge should take 10 minutes in front of any judge. There is little evidence that the detention of these people was anything additional than politically motivated.
Additional reading
The Nation
thenation.com/article/36562/us-hikers-were-seized-iraq?page=,
CNN
cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/09/14/iran.detained.american/
