The trial of three American hikers detained in Iran since July 2009 was postponed again May 11.
The Swiss diplomatic authorities, that are overseeing the trial, said the trial was delayed when the two men who remain in custody, Josh Fattal, Shane Bauer, were not brought from prison to the courthouse. No explanation for the delay was given, UPI reported. As the United States does not have diplomatic relations with Iran, Switzerland handles American affairs on their behalf.
The third hiker, Bauer’s fiancée Sarah Shourd, was released by to the United States last September on $500,000 bail for medical reasons. She did not return to Iran for the trial.
The trial had also been postponed last November. The three pleaded not guilty when the trial resumed in February.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Mark Toner told reporters on Tuesday that the last time the Swiss protecting power saw the men was October 26, 2010.
The current delay could be a good sign for the hikers, according to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Philo Dibble.
Dibble told lawmakers in Washington on Wednesday that “We’re not quite sure what that [the delay] means, but we hope it is a positive omen,” AFP reported.
The three had been hiking along the Iran-Iraq border when they were arrested by Iranian authorities who accuse them of spying on July 31, 2009.
“The endless prosecution of the two hikers appears to be little more than a political jab at the United States. This case highlights the cruel and arbitrary nature of the Iranian justice system,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, in a statement released on Wednesday.
The Swiss diplomatic authorities, that are overseeing the trial, said the trial was delayed when the two men who remain in custody, Josh Fattal, Shane Bauer, were not brought from prison to the courthouse. No explanation for the delay was given, UPI reported. As the United States does not have diplomatic relations with Iran, Switzerland handles American affairs on their behalf.
The third hiker, Bauer’s fiancée Sarah Shourd, was released by to the United States last September on $500,000 bail for medical reasons. She did not return to Iran for the trial.
The trial had also been postponed last November. The three pleaded not guilty when the trial resumed in February.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Mark Toner told reporters on Tuesday that the last time the Swiss protecting power saw the men was October 26, 2010.
The current delay could be a good sign for the hikers, according to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Philo Dibble.
Dibble told lawmakers in Washington on Wednesday that “We’re not quite sure what that [the delay] means, but we hope it is a positive omen,” AFP reported.
The three had been hiking along the Iran-Iraq border when they were arrested by Iranian authorities who accuse them of spying on July 31, 2009.
“The endless prosecution of the two hikers appears to be little more than a political jab at the United States. This case highlights the cruel and arbitrary nature of the Iranian justice system,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, in a statement released on Wednesday.