Iranian TV: 2 Americans Sentenced to 8 Years for Spying

Posted August 20th, 2011 at 10:45 am (UTC-5)
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Iranian state television says two Americans detained in the country since 2009 have been sentenced to eight years in prison for spying and illegal entry.

The state television website said Saturday Americans Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal each received a five year sentence for the spying conviction and a three year sentence for illegal entry.

Iranian authorities detained the two men and an American woman, Sarah Shourd, in 2009 along the Iran-Iraq border on charges of illegally entering Iranian territory. The three said they were hiking together in the mountains of Iraq's Kurdish region and were unaware they had crossed the unmarked frontier.

Shourd returned to the United States last year after Iran released her on bail. All three Americans denied the charges against them.

Earlier this month, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said he hoped Iran's judicial process will lead to the release of Bauer and Fattal. The United States repeatedly has called on Iran to free them.