Hiker Sarah Shourd refuses to return for Iran spy trial Skip to main content

Hiker Sarah Shourd refuses to return for Iran spy trial

Hiker Sarah Shourd Sarah Shourd was released from Iran after months of pressure by the US

Related Stories

US woman Sarah Shourd, who was released by Iran after being detained with two fellow US hikers in 2009, has said she will not return there to stand trial.
Ms Shourd was to stand trial next week for espionage alongside her friends, who are still being held in Iran.
She told AP news agency she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and returning would be "far too traumatic".
She and the other hikers have said they unknowingly crossed into the country while hiking in July 2009.
"When Shane and Josh and I met the Iranian soldiers, we were completely shocked. There was absolutely no indication of a border," she said.
Ms Shourd was released on bail in September 2010 and returned to the US. Her fiance Shane Bauer and their friend Josh Fattal remain in prison in Tehran.
Mr Bauer and Mr Fattal pleaded not guilty at the first session of their trial in February 2011, with the second session scheduled for 11 May. Ms Shourd pleaded not guilty in absentia.
Prosecutors said they had evidence the three were connected to US intelligence agencies.
'Too traumatic' Ms Shourd said she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder by clinical forensic psychologist Barry Rosenfeld and that a five-page psychological evaluation had been sent to the Iranian Revolutionary Court.
The Iranian court had not responded to her refusal to return for the trial, she said.
"There is a part of me that would like to go back and stand by Shane and Josh at this most difficult time," she told the AFP news agency.
"But really I'm afraid it would be too traumatic for me to go back after what I've been through in Iran."
Ms Shourd, who was released after months of pressure by the US, has said the trio were hiking in Iraqi Kurdistan and did not intentionally stray over the border with Iran, where they were arrested by soldiers.
They had visited the tourist village of Ahmed Awa, she said, and hiked along a trail local residents had recommended.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13283646
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sri Bhaddanta Chandramani Mahathera

The Life Story of A Distinguished And Outstanding Bhikkhu The Most Venerable Saradawpharagree Sri Bhaddanta Chandramani Mahathera The Buddhist missionary Saradaw Ashin U Chandramani was endowed with great gifts and led a famous and long life. He was a very well known, distinguished and outstanding Bhikkhu Mahathera. While living in the Kushinagar Monastery, a place close to where the Lord Buddha had passed away to Nirvana, the Government of India had offered, and he had accepted, the highest, most honourable and respected title "Guru Guru MahaGuru". He became the first ever President of all Buddhists in India.A World Buddhist Conference took place in Kathmandu during the reign of King Mahindra of Nepal. The Conference was very well attended by over one hundred thousand Buddhists from various parts of the world and it was opened by King Mahindra himself. As requested by the King, Saradawpharagree blessed all the participants with the power of Triple Gems...
Post a Comment
Read more

Thai penis whitening trend raises eyebrows

Image copyright LELUXHOSPITAL Image caption Authorities warn the procedure could be quite painful A supposed trend of penis whitening has captivated Thailand in recent days and left it asking if the country's beauty industry is taking things too far. Skin whitening is nothing new in many Asian countries, where darker skin is often associated with outdoor labour, therefore, being poorer. But even so, when a clip of a clinic's latest intriguing procedure was posted online, it quickly went viral. Thailand's health ministry has since issued a warning over the procedure. The BBC Thai service spoke to one patient who had undergone the treatment, who told them: "I wanted to feel more confident in my swimming briefs". The 30-year-old said his first session of several was two months ago, and he had since seen a definite change in the shade. 'What for?' The original Facebook post from the clinic offering the treatment, which uses lasers to break do...
1 comment
Read more

Three Dead, Seven Injured by Artillery Shells in Two Incidents in Myanmar’s Mrauk-U

By MIN AUNG KHINE 2 December 2019 Sittwe, Rakhine State –Three Mrauk-U township residents died and four others were injured when an artillery shell struck their community in the Ale Zay quarter of Mrauk-U town on Monday afternoon after 4 p.m. A month-old girl, a 4-year-old boy and a 30-year-old woman died, according to Dr. Khin Maung Yin, the head of Mrauk-U hospital. He said, “A man and three other women were injured. One of the women sustained severe injures to her left leg and her right knee was dislocated. The injured will be operated on.” Details of what occurred were not yet known. A few hours earlier, three civilians were injured when an artillery shell fell on the village of Na Leik in Mrauk-U Township, Rakhine State, western Myanmar, on Monday at around 1 p.m., according to Yan Aung Pyin village-tract administrator U Sein Hla Aung. Two females, aged 13 and 27, and an 18-year-old male were injured in the incident, he said. Three people were hit by shrapnel and we have...
Post a Comment
Read more