Ruling On Detained Americans In Iran By Late August

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran expects to make a final decision in the case of three Americans charged with espionage by late August, Iran's official news agency said Tuesday. Two of the three have been in Iranian custody since 2009. IRNA quoted Tehran's chief prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi as saying the Americans' next court appearance is tentatively set for the summer session of the court, between June 22 and August 22. He said officials "are hopeful that the final decision about the three Americans' case will be taken at that session." He did not elaborate. The three Americans – Shane Bauer, Josh Fattal and Sarah Shourd – were detained in July 2009 along the Iran-Iraq border.

"TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran expects to make a final decision in the case of three Americans charged with espionage by late August, Iran's official news agency said Tuesday"Bauer and Fattal remain in custody. Bauer's fiancee, Shourd, was released last year on $500,000 bail and has refused to return to Iran for trial. The three deny the allegations. "We are hopeful that final decision about the three Americans' case to be taken in the session" set for the summer, he said, without hinting at what the decision might be. The three were detained in July 2009 along the Iran-Iraq border.

They deny the charges and claim they were only hiking in a scenic area of northern Iraq near the Iranian frontier. The families of the two men released a statement Tuesday, hoping the court session would take place soon. "Shane and Josh are being held without any due process, and their mental and physical welfare is in grave danger," the statement said. "Their suffering needs to end now, and they should be allowed to return home immediately." The espionage trial had been scheduled to resume May 11, but Bauer and Fattal were not brought to court and the session was called off. Iranian officials offered no explanation at the time.

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