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Venezuela hails Chavez role after Iran frees hikers

Iran Materials 23 September 2011 13:15 (UTC +04:00)
President Hugo Chavez played an influential behind-the-scenes role in securing the release of two Americans detained in Iran while hiking on the border in 2009, Venezuela's government said on Thursday.
Venezuela hails Chavez role after Iran frees hikers

Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 23 /Trend/

President Hugo Chavez played an influential behind-the-scenes role in securing the release of two Americans detained in Iran while hiking on the border in 2009, Venezuela's government said on Thursday, Reuters reported.

Venezuelan Deputy Foreign Minister Temir Porras told Reuters the Venezuelan president took up the case with the government of ally President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad after being alerted to the Americans' plight by friends in U.S. intellectual circles.

"He talks regularly with President Ahmadinejad. On the occasions he could, he requested it as a humanitarian, brotherly gesture," Porras said. "His intervention on behalf of the two American detainees was deliberately low-key."

Eva Golinger, a Venezuelan-American lawyer who lives in Caracas and is a friend of Chavez, told Reuters she brought the American hikers' case to his attention back in 2009 because she knew a friend of theirs.

"They have strong, progressive politics. I gave my word to Chavez that they did not appear to be spies," she said. "He was immediately open to doing something."

Iranian media quoted their Foreign Ministry as saying U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Chavez and the governments of Iraq and Oman had all intervened on behalf of the Americans.

Shane Bauer, Joshua Fattal and Sarah Shourd were detained in 2009 after crossing an unmarked stretch of the Iran-Iraq border. They were charged by Iran's Revolutionary Court with illegally crossing the border and espionage and sentenced to eight-year prison terms.

Shourd was released in September, 2010 on health grounds after posting 500,000 dollars in bail by Oman, and returned to the United States.

Last week, Ahmadinejad told NBC News that two American nationals would be freed by the end of the week. Then, Iran's Revolutionary Court agreed to release two U.S. citizens under $500,000 bail for each. However, Iran's Judiciary had refuted media reports on their release.

On Sept. 15, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani held talks with the Iranian top officials on the release of these two. After the talks, the Iranian side agreed to hand over them to the Swiss embassy in Tehran, which represents U.S. interests in Iran.

Later, CNN reported that the Sultanate of Oman was involved again in brokering the release of Fattal and Bauer.

This week, the Appellation Court of Tehran Province issued a decree to accept $500,000 bail [per one] for release of two convicted U.S citizens. The bail has been provided by the Oman government.

The U.S. pair have reportedly departed from Mehrabad Airport after being released on bail.

Edited by T.Konyayeva

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