Photo from EPA
It's been more than a long year of epic misery for Sarah Shourd. Thankfully, it seems to be
on the verge of ending:
Iran has announced it will free Sarah Shourd, one of the three Americans it has held in prison for more than a year on accusations of spying.
An Iranian government official said on Thursday that Shourd will be released as an act of clemency to mark the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Shourd, along with Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, were arrested in July 2009 after straying into Iranian territory from Iraq. The three said that they became lost on a hike in Iraqi Kurdistan. US authorities insist that they are innocent and say they should be released immediately.
But what about the fate of this two men who were also captured with her?
Ghanbar Naderi, a journalist for the Iran Daily newspaper, said that the other prisoners would be released shortly. "The female prisoner is going to be released," he said. "I can assure you that the other two will also be released on compassionate grounds."
He insisted that there had been no deal between the US and Iranian governments on the fate of the hikers.
"There is no backroom deal," he said. "Of course the government listens to international opinion."
Let's hope so indeed.
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