Blog #3

Current Event: U.S. Hikers Held Captive in Iran
The three Americans were arrested in July 2009 while hiking in the mountains near Iran’s border (Yong). The hikers crossed into Turkey from northern Iraq but apparently crossed the border into Iran (“Iran to Release”). The hikers maintained their innocence while many Americans felt the U.S. government should get involved. Early in the month of September the topic started to heat up again as Iran was willing to let one of the Americans leave on bail.


On September 9th, Iran said that they would plan to return Sarah Shourd back to the United States. Iran chose to return Ms. Shourd because she had “medical problems, including precancerous cervical cells and a breast lump” (“Iran to Release”). Unfortunately, just a day later Iran postponed the release of the American woman because “the judiciary process [had] not been completed in her case” (“Iran Halts”). The fate of the other two hikers, Shane M. Bauer and Joshua F. Fattal, had yet to be expressed by the Iranian government. It is thought that Iranian officials could attempt to trade these two young men for Iranians being held in the U.S. Now the American public wants to know whether the U.S. government is willing to trade possible Iranian terrorists for a couple of American hikers. Finally on September 14th, Ms. Shourd was released “from prison in Tehran” and left Iran where she arrived in Oman later that day. A report of Press TV’s website site states that she was released on $500,000 bail fourteen months after being arrest for espionage (Mackey). Ms. Shourd returned to the United States shortly afterwards. Afterwards, P.J. Crowley, a State Department spokesman stated that “the United States did not pay anything for her [Sarah Shourd] release” (Mackey).


After another week, Ms. Shroud was still the only American released. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran made a statement that Ms. Shourd’s release was “a huge humanitarian gesture” (MacFarquhar). Thus, the president of Iran was guaranteeing that no more Americans would be let free. Many people such as Christiane Amanpour question whether Iran was holding the two remaining hikers like hostages to exchange for other Iranians (MacFarquhar). Amanpour asks a strong question of whether the Iranians are using innocent people as barging tools. However, Mr. Ahmadinejad replies “how would you know these Iranians are criminals? Are you a judge?” (MacFarquhar). The President provides the counterargument for the issue. Only a judge can decide the fate of a person and not an angry mass of people. On September 26th, Mr. Ahmadinejad suggested that the two men might be released after a trial. He hopes that the hikers “had no ill intention in crossing the border, so that their release can also be secured” (Yong). No new news has formed from this elongated event since then.


This is issue a caused an extreme tension between to the two nations. While the U.S. and rest of world waits to see whether or not the two hikers will return to their native country, many people wonder whether Iran is morally just to hold noncitizens for years at a time without a trial. Yet, many people also understand that the U.S. is just as morally wrong when we hold many criminals for long periods of time as well.
 
Works Cited
Mackey, By Robert. "Released U.S. Hiker Leaves Iran" NYTimes.com. New York Times, 14 Sept. 2010. Web. 06 Oct. 2010.
MacFarquhar, Neil. "American Asks Iran to Free Others." NYTimes.com. New York Times, 19 Sept. 2010. Web. 06 Oct. 2010.
Worth, Robert F. "Iran Halts Release of American Held for a Year." NYTimes.com. New York Times, 10 Sept. 2010. Web. 6 Oct. 2010.
---. "Iran to Release Detained U.S. Hiker." NYTimes.com. New York Times, 9 Sept. 2010. Web. 06 Oct. 2010.
Yong, William. "Omanis Arrive in Iran to Aid 2 U.S. Hikers, Paper Reports." NYTimes.com. New York Times, 26 Sept. 2010. Web. 06 Oct. 2010.