U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-California) and three other senators will hold a news conference at 8:30 a.m. this morning to urge Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to release three American hikers who have been detained for more than nine months.
Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal, who all graduated from the University of California at Berkeley, have been held in Iran since July 31. Their family members and friends say they were detained after they crossed an unmarked border into Iran while hiking in Iraq's Kurdistan region.
But Iran has accused them of espionage and plans to prosecute them.
Joining Boxer at the news conference at the U.S. Senate Radio-TV Gallery at 8:30 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time will be Sen. Bob Casey (D-Penn), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.).
President Ahmadinejad is at the United Nations in New York this week for a conference regarding the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
According to Boxer's office, Bauer, Shourd and Josh Fattal have been allowed only one phone call home since their detainment, have had little contact with the outside world and are grappling with various medical ailments.
Boxer's office said Iran has not yet granted visas requested by the detainees' families and the detainees haven't yet been formally charged or given access to their lawyer.
Comments
Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on May 4, 2010 at 8:51 am
on May 4, 2010 at 8:51 am
Why would anyone in their right mind go off hiking in Iraq then expect the U.S. government to rescue them when they get in trouble? Duh! Why should the American taxpayers foot the bill?
Livermore
on May 4, 2010 at 9:36 am
on May 4, 2010 at 9:36 am
hi barby...if the hikers are ever released, you'll be long gone and they'll be senior citizens!
tee hee hee, tee hee hee...
Registered user
Parkside
on May 4, 2010 at 12:55 pm
Registered user
on May 4, 2010 at 12:55 pm
Between Babs and Al Franken, The Iranian dictator should have a good laugh about what America's represntation has become....a joke, in this case.
Funny that these same libs are bent about our immigration laws and yet stray a little into Iran's territory and it's the stockade for you for life.
Good luck with that.......
Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on May 4, 2010 at 1:23 pm
on May 4, 2010 at 1:23 pm
Maybe we could send them a whole bunch of our illegal immigrants?
Pleasanton Valley
on May 4, 2010 at 1:28 pm
on May 4, 2010 at 1:28 pm
Boxer would be SITTING ON HER HANDS, OH, BUT ITS ELECTION TIME. SHE IS A DISASTER FOR CALIFORNIA. BEAT BOXER ANYONE IS BETTER. IN ALL THE YEARS SHE HAS BEEN IN THE SENATE SHE HAS ALWAYS EMBARRASSED CALIFORNIANS. SHE IS A RACIST, LOOK AT HER QUESTIONING OF RICE AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE COMMERCE FOR BLACK BUSINESSES.
Downtown
on May 4, 2010 at 1:32 pm
on May 4, 2010 at 1:32 pm
To go "hiking" in Iraq during A WAR and expect nothing to happen is like "hiking" in Poland in 1939 when the Nazis were "hiking" all over Europe. What the hell are they teaching these kids at Berkeley?
Livermore
on May 4, 2010 at 2:59 pm
on May 4, 2010 at 2:59 pm
give it a rest jolene...please, just give it a rest...OK?
Downtown
on May 4, 2010 at 3:23 pm
on May 4, 2010 at 3:23 pm
Give what a rest, cholo? That I have a right to comment and you don't like it and instead of addressing the comment you make another of your "gay" remarks aimed at the poster and not the message. GAME OVER...tee hee hee. I can take anything you can dish out because you just AINT THAT CLEVER!
Registered user
Dublin
on May 4, 2010 at 11:02 pm
Registered user
on May 4, 2010 at 11:02 pm
susan, Senator Boxer, a racist? Well, she's not perfect and nor are you.
BTW, hiking near the Iranian border or, for that matter, the US/Mexican border is just plain dumb.
Joe, with all due respect, using Nazis hiking in Poland as a metaphor in my opinion does not relate to the incident what these three individuals did.
Everyone, if I may suggest, please let's keep the hyperbole to a minimum.
Have a good week, and appreciate you live in America. Where
Amberwood/Wood Meadows
on May 5, 2010 at 8:30 am
on May 5, 2010 at 8:30 am
I'm sure Iran is all ears to Boxer. Lesson to all, Iran is a terrorist nation. Travel to and by these countries at your own risk. It is a joke that Boxer thinks a terrorist nation cares what she thinks.
Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on May 5, 2010 at 1:39 pm
on May 5, 2010 at 1:39 pm
What are these people that work for Al Gore's company doing testing the borders of terrorist countries? We have two cases where they have been caught, resulting in high-level current or former politians have to go to those countries to grovel and embarrass the U. S. Bill Clinton had to get the hostages released from Korea, and now we are going to send a contingent of loon Senators to get them released from Iran. All the time, Al Gore, a former Vice President, sits on his hands -- and he is the guy ultimately responsible for causing both of these diplomatic disasters. Much better if Obama said, we'll do an exchange -- you give us back the three hostages and we'll give you Al Gore, on the condition that you keep him.
Del Prado
on May 5, 2010 at 3:10 pm
on May 5, 2010 at 3:10 pm
Goresa Loon; best post of the day! Maybe they'll take Uncle Al AND the Senators in exchange for the "hikers".