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Iran Releases Female American Hiker

   VOA News 14 September 2010

   Iranian  state  television says one of the American hikers detained in
   Iran for more than a year has been released.
   Press  TV  is  reporting  that  32-year-old  American Sarah Shourd was
   released  from  prison  in Tehran Tuesday, but the report has not been
   confirmed by the Swiss embassy.
   Iranian  authorities  detained  Shourd and two other Americans - Shane
   Bauer  and Josh Fattal - last July after saying they crossed into Iran
   from  northern Iraq.  Iranian authorities later accused the hikers of
   spying and illegal entry.  Family members of the hikers have insisted
   they are not spies and crossed the border by accident.
   Iran announced Sunday that Shourd could be released on a $500,000 bail
   for  medical  reasons,  but  would still face trial.  Shourd's family
   says  she  needs medical treatment for a breast lump and pre-cancerous
   cervical cells.
   Iran  said  last week it would release Shourd on Saturday as an act of
   clemency,  to coincide with the holiday of Eid al-Fitr, the end of the
   Muslim  holy  month  of  Ramadan.   But  judicial  officials abruptly
   canceled the plans, saying there were unresolved legal issues.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.

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