Everything is in place to post bail (for Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer) and to have them released, except for the signature of a judge.Masoud Shafii, the lawyer for the American hikers jailed in Iran • Revealing that the fate of the two men rested in the hands of a judge — the $500,000 bail for each is in place, it’s just a matter of getting the judge to make a critical last step. Then Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal would be able to go home. Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi hoped the judiciary would so so. ”We hope the judiciary will announce its decision in the near future … According to our information, the judiciary has the intention of reducing their sentences,” Salehi said. The judiciary, which is very conservative, recently contradicted the words of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, claiming that the hikers would not get released right away. source (via • follow)
The two Americans are going to stay in prison for a bit longer. Reports of their imminent release are wrong.An Iranian judiciary official • Basically contradicting what Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said about the fates of American hikers Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer, who have been held by Iran for two years for what effectively amounts to trespassing. Was Ahmadinejad simply making nice with Ann Curry? Or sounding nice for the United Nations? If so, that’s really lame. source (via • follow)
Two Americans jailed for more than two years will be freed in two days, Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said.
The president made the statement in an interview with NBC News journalist Ann Curry, Bloomberg reported.
Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal had been sentenced to eight years of prison…
Great news indeed.
Of the 751 days of Shane and Josh’s imprisonment, yesterday and today have been the most difficult for our families. Shane and Josh are innocent and have never posed any threat to the Islamic Republic of Iran, its government or its people.A statement from the families of Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal • Expressing disappointment over the eight-year sentence imposed on the two men by Iran. The men received the jail sentence for spying and entering the country, but the hikers emphasize that they merely walked into Iran by accident. Meanwhile, the lawyer for the men, Masoud Shafiee, plans to appeal the tough sentence. “I still hope for my clients to benefit from Islamic kindness and compassion in this holy month (of Ramadan),” he said. source (via • follow)
I think he went to [Iraqi] Kurdistan to cover the elections … and [during a hike] unfortunately didn’t know the ground he was walking on well enough to avoid crossing over whatever boundary was there.New America Media executive director Sandy Close • Discussing the fate of Shane Bauer, one of the hikers who was sentenced to eight years in prison for accidentally crossing into Iran back in 2009. Bauer had planned to write a story about Iraqi Kurdistan, but those plans were put on hold after Bauer and his friends Josh Fattal and Sarah Shourd were arrested for accidentally crossing into Iran, and then getting caught. Shourd was let go on the promise she’d eventually come back, but Fattal and Bauer will spend a decade in jail. Where’s Bill Clinton to broker a deal when you need him? source (via • follow)
Iran Sentences the U.S. Men Hikers to 8 years for Spying & Entering Illegally
This is such crap. They entered the country by accident. :(
Russia’s envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin says the NATO is planning a military strike against the Islamic Republic to overthrow the Iranian government.
Rogozin said in an interview with Russia’s Izvestia daily newspaper published on Friday that the NATO was pursuing a long-reaching goal of preparing an attack on Iran, adding that the alliance intends to change governments whose views do not coincide with those of the West.
Press TV is a mouthpiece for the Iranian government. Careful giving this any sort of serious heed.
» Although only 11% of Iran’s citizens use the Internet, Iranian officials have nonetheless decided that within the next two years, all Internet access in the country will be restricted to a state-controlled intranet. Which is to say there will be no Internet access in Iran. (Note from editor: This story is a little old. So as not to be giving you completely outdated information, we’ll point out that officials plan to roll out tests of their “National Internet” starting next month.)
But seriously … I am not kidding.
I’m not watching all of...
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Tumblr this morning. [h/t anne]
#@#$%!.tumblr.com
Developing: An Al Jazeera journalist who has been missing in Syria has been freed, according to a report from the Seattle Times.
Dorothy Parvaz, a correspondent with the Qatar-based Al Jazeera news organization, went missing on April 29th to cover the protests in Syria and went missing a short…
A big deal, and a big get for the Seattle Times. Let’s hope Parvaz is doing OK after being missing for nearly a month.
To put it simply: The article seems to suggest he’s leaning towards resignation. Here’s a Google Translate version. (you should read idroolinmysleep, btw)
[Khamenei] gave me a deadline to make up my mind. I would either accept [the reinstatement] or resign.Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (as quoted by Iranian parliament member Morteza Agha-Tehrani) • Describing the choice that Iran’s president is reportedly up against. The Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, reportedly has to accept the reinstatement of intelligence minister Heydar Moslehi, who Ahmadinejad had forced to resign. If this is true, it’s a pretty good reminder to everyone that Ahmadinejad holds less power than his title suggests. (By the way, this story is from The Guardian, whom we trust a bit more than Examiner.com, and also largely matches ProducerMatthew’s report from last night.) source (via • follow)
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has given Mahmoud Ahmadinejad an ultimatum that could soon leave Iran without a president.
The Ayatollah of Iran demanded Ahmadinejad either reinstate former Intelligence Minister Heidar Moslehi or resign his post, according to Morteza Agha-Tehrani who serves as a close…
A follow to our piece from earlier. ProducerMatthew’s sources are a little bit better, and the Al Aribya report is also informative.
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