An area comprising of Turkey, Iraq and Iran called Kurdistan had 3 individuals hiking there in 2009. The title came from the Kurds which is the majority of individuals who reside there. The hikers were taken into custody by Iranian authorities and accused of being spies and carrying out espionage. Shourd was luck to be a hiker that was let go as authorities couldn’t decide for a when whether or not to really do it. Iranian law enforcement tried to get the United States of America, who said no, to pay for her release with $500,000. The other hikers remain in custody, one of which is her fiancé.
Why spy on a hike?
All three captured hikers, Sarah Shourd, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, work in the Middle East. Shourd’s fiancé is Bauer. Kurdistan was the choice they made to getaway at because in the southern parts of Iraq, it is probably the most free. While hiking outside of Zalem, a village in Iraqi Kurdistan, the hikers were detained by the Iranian national police, according to The Nation. Though the border isn’t identified, locals in the area claim that Iranian forces regularly enter Iraq, where they lack jurisdiction.
Letting go of one hiker
The United States government said no when the Iranian government announced it wanted $500,000 for the release of Sarah Shourd. Days later, the Iranian government recanted. The, says CNN, Sarah Shourd was announced to be released on bail as a result of health reasons. You will find no relations between Washington and Tehran. Also, ever since the 1979, the Swiss have acted as liaison. The bail was deposited in Oman. It was deposited into a bank account. Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal weren’t as lucky. They’re still in Iranian custody.
Espionage is not true
Numerous sources have reported that the hikers never even crossed into the Iranian border. Evidently the Iranian police and intelligence encounter the line all the time to detain . This comes from those who live in the area. The case should only take a couple of minutes. Any judge can do a trespassing charge in about 10 minutes. There is little evidence that the detention of these people was anything some other 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/
