American Hiker Sarah Shourd Speaks About Her Release From Iran: “We Are Not Spies”

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by Glynnis MacNicol | 4:19 pm, September 19th, 2010

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Sarah Shourd, the American hiker who was released from Iranian custody earlier this week after being held there with two others for over a year, gave a press conference in New York this afternoon in which she thanked Iranian authorities for their “compassionate release.”

Sounding as though she were speaking from a list of Iranian talking points — and considering Iran is still holding her fiance, Shane Bauer, and their friend Josh Fattal this is likely the case — Shourd said it was “her deepest hope” her release would not go “unrecognized” and then stated that the trio’s arrest had been “a huge misunderstanding” and reiterated that they had “committed no crime and we are not spies.”

Meanwhile, this morning on This Week Iranian President Ahmadinejad told Christiane Amanpour that Shourd’s release was a “huge humanitarian gesture.”

It is true that the Islamic Republic of Iran took a humanitarian measure and released one of the three individuals who entered our borders Ms. Sarah Shourd. This was a huge humanitarian gesture.

Now, you may be aware that eight Iranians are illegally being detained in the United States. So I believe that it would not be misplaced to ask that the U.S. government should make a humanitarian gesture to release the Iranians who were illegally arrested and detained here in the United States.

Video of Shourd’s press conference below.

Christiane Amanpour, President Ahmadinejad, Sarah Shourd, This Week

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Bill Mahwer

Nice to see her released but really what the heck was she doing hiking in that area.

I hear the excuse was to see some of the great scenery in the area. Excuse me, isn’t there great scenery in the US? Let alone other safer parts of the world.

As much as you cant trust the Iranians as far as you can throw them I can see how they can be suspicious of this story.
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Bill Mahwer said:
Nice to see her released but really what the heck was she doing hiking in that area.

That is the part that disturbs me about this story. Iraq isn’t stable enough to be a tourist destination. I’d rather hike in Yosemite than on the Iraq/Iran border. It was poor vacation choice. Shroud and her friends may have had a trip to Somalia on their itinerary.
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Welcome back & thank you for your good work > isn’t it funny you have to leave this country to really get a perspective as to how well we have it.

Love it or Leave but you can all come back!