You took a hike
But you didn’t know
Across a border
Soon you would go
No border guards
For you to see
You entered a country
Illegally
Surrounded by soldiers
Their border you crossed
It was a mistake
Because you were lost
Tourists they knew
Just passing through
But you didn’t know
Your case they’d pursue
You landed in prison
A harsh consequence
For taking a hike
In a place with no fence
Many months later
One hiker released
Two men still in jail
In the harsh Middle East
There are places to hike
In a friendly country
Where you will be safe
And you will be free
By, Randee Saber 9/25/10
Iran Must Release American hikers
Shane Michael Bauer, Joshua Felix Fattal and Sarah Emily Shourd were arrested while they were hiking in the Iraq-Iran border area on 31 July 2009 and have been detained since then without charge or trial. While we welcome the ordered release of Sarah, Iran must give the others a prompt and fair trial, or they must be immediately released. Iranian officials have alleged the hikers planned to carry out espionage. Statements by senior Iranian leaders have suggested that they may be being detained in order to put pressure on the U.S. government and to possibly use them as bargaining chips. Hostage taking is a human rights violation.
The Americans are held at Tehran’s Evin Prison. They were allowed to telephone their families only several months after their arrest but in May 2010 they were taken to a Tehran hotel and allowed to meet their mothers who had travelled to Iran from the USA. An Iranian lawyer appointed by their families to represent the three has not been given access to them and Swiss embassy officials, who represent U.S. consular interests in Iran, have not been allowed to visit them since last April.
NOTE: Sarah Shourd was freed on September 14, 2010 after more than a year in captivity.
