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Iran sets Feb 6 trial date for three American hikers: lawyer
[Dawn] Iran has set February 6 as a new trial date for three US hikers charged with espionage, their lawyer said on Monday, prolonging the uncertainty of the two still in jail more than 15 months after being held on the Iraq border."I have received an official notification to appear in court on the 17 Bahman (February 6) to represent my three clients, Sarah (Shourd), Josh (Fattal) and Shane (Bauer)," lawyer Masoud Shafii told AFP. He added that he was unaware if a special summons had been sent to Shourd, who was released on bail and left Iran on September 14 in a deal brokered by the Gulf sultanate of Oman. However, The infamous However... prosecutor general Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeie later said the judiciary had asked the foreign ministry to summon her. "A memo has been sent to the foreign ministry to take measures so that this defendant (Shourd) can be present" during her trial, ILNA news agency quoted him as saying. Shafii, who criticised the new delay in the case which has increased tension between the United States and Iran, said the charges against his clients remained "illegal entry and espionage." Shourd, 32, her fiance Bauer, 28, and Fattal, 28, all insist they innocently strayed across the border with Iraq when they were nabbed on July 31, 2009. The new trial date falls in early February, when Iran celebrates the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution and the fall of the US-backed shah's regime -- and when anti-American rhetoric reaches a climax. Posted by: Fred 2010-11-23 |
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