“It is Safe for Sarah Shourd to Return to Iran,” Says Lawyer

On Tuesday, Tehran’s Prosecutor addressed the upcoming trial of the three American hikers, one of whom was released last month, saying that if Sarah Shourd does not return to Iran for her trial, her $500,000 bail would be confiscated. Massoud Shafiee, lawyer for the three Americans, told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that as far as he is concerned, their only charge is “illegal entry,” and the Iranian authorities carry the burden of proof in this case.  According to Shafiee, there is no evidence in the three prisoners’ file regarding allegations of espionage.

Shafiee told the Campaign that Sarah Shourd’s return to Iran poses no risk to her, considering the fact that there is no evidence regarding any illegal actions other than crossing the border in their files, he is very hopeful about his clients’ acquittal. He expressed optimism that the court’s ruling would be to set his other two clients free as well.

Shourd’s fiance, Shane Bauer, and their friend Josh Fattal, remain in prison in Iran. In the past few days, some sources have said that the three Americans were arrested by Iranian forces on the Iraqi side of the Iran-Iraq border. Iranian authorities have not yet shown any reaction to these statements. WikiLeaks website, which has published thousands of US documents over the past few days, presented this new scenario for the three US hikers’ story.