By Alyxandra Stanczak
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

NEW YORK, New York – On September 25th, Sarah Shourd met with Iranian President Ahmadinejad to plead for the release of two U.S. hikers being held in Iranian prison. Shourd, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal were accused of spying when they were hiking in Iraq and accidentally crossed over into Iran. The three were arrested and have been detained at Tehran’s Evin prison since July 31, 2009. Shourd was released on 14 September because of a medical problem.

When Shourd met with Ahmadinejad, she stressed to him that their hiking group did not intend to cross the border from Iraq into Iran. The basis for her plea with the Iranian president is that Bauer and Fattal should be released on humanitarian grounds.  At this same time, Ahmadinejad has called on the  United States to release eight Iranian prisoners citing the release of Shourd as a good faith humanitarian gesture and hoping for reciprocation.

Shourd’s meeting with Ahmadinejad was possibly facilitated by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, who met with Shourd and the families of the other two detained hikers this past Thursday. Ahmadinejad was in the United States to speak in front of the United Nations General Assembly.

Shourd commented that the meeting with Ahmadinejad was “a very human encounter, very personal.”

For more information, please see:

Associated Press – Report: Oman talking to Iran on US prisoners – 26 September 2010

Al Jazeera – US ‘hiker’ pleads with Ahmadinejad – 25 September 2010

Today’s Zaman – Shourd, families of still-held hikers meet with Ahmadinejad – 25 September 2010