Skip to content
Opinion
Link copied to clipboard

Inquirer Editorial: Finally, freedom for American hikers

The hikers are free. Finally. After more than two years in captivity, Americans Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, an Elkins Park native, have been released from Iran's notorious Evin prison.

Employee Nancy Campeau adds a sign to a display in support of Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal at Sprouts Hometown Market & Gifts in Pine City, Minn. on Wednesday. Bauer's mother, Cindy Hickey, lives in Pine City. (Courtney Perry / The Star Tribune, Associated Press)
Employee Nancy Campeau adds a sign to a display in support of Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal at Sprouts Hometown Market & Gifts in Pine City, Minn. on Wednesday. Bauer's mother, Cindy Hickey, lives in Pine City. (Courtney Perry / The Star Tribune, Associated Press)Read more
    Published 

The hikers are free.

Finally.

After more than two years in captivity, Americans Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, an Elkins Park native, have been released from Iran's notorious Evin prison.

Let their journey back to the United States and their long-suffering families be a safe one, and their homecoming joyous.

The two men, and a third American, Sarah Shourd, were arrested on July 31, 2009, during a vacation along a poorly marked area on the border between Iraqi Kurdistan and Iran.

Iranians accused the trio of crossing the border illegally and spying. Last month, the two men were convicted and sentenced to eight years. Shourd was released last year on humanitarian grounds, after $500,000 bail - ransom, really - was posted.

A similar amount was required for both Bauer and Fattal. The money came from Oman, which facilitated all three releases. Officials there deserve our nation's thanks.

But hold the applause for the thugs who run Iran, one of the world's leading sponsors of terrorism, and especially their preening joke of a president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He had hoped to have the hostages freed this week in time for a victory lap around the U.N. General Assembly.

Instead, let the United Nations and its members open this week's session by condemning in the strongest possible terms the hostage-taking regularly practiced by this ruthless regime.