Iran denied in a
statement issued by its U.N. mission on Friday that two U.S. citizens
detained on spying charges have been mistreated, saying they had
consular contact and a visit from their families.
Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer, together with Bauer's fiancee Sarah
Shourd, were arrested by Iranian forces on July 31, 2009, on suspicion
of spying after crossing into Iran from neighboring Iraq.
Shourd, who was released on bail in September and returned home, has
insisted the trio were innocent hikers who unintentionally crossed the
unmarked border into Iran.
The families said in a letter released on Thursday that Fattal and
Bauer had been subjected to psychological torture as a result of
extreme isolation, had been denied access to their lawyer and to
consular visits from Swiss diplomats who represent U.S. interests in
Iran.
The letter, addressed to Ahmed Shaheed, the United Nations human rights investigator on Iran, also claimed Fattal and Bauer were assaulted and sexually harassed by a prison guard.
"Two years later, Shane and Josh are still in prison in deplorable
conditions," Shourd said at a press briefing at the United Nations
earlier in the week.
Iran's mission to the United Nations called these "baseless allegations" in a press statement released late on Friday.
"We categorically deny Ms Shourd's recent false claims and the
repeat of the same allegations by some family members, about the
treatment of the two U.S. citizens by Iranian authorities," the
statement said.
The families said they met with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
earlier in the week and said in a press release on Thursday that Ban
had called Bauer and Fattal's imprisonment "totally unacceptable." A
U.N. spokesman could not immediately vouch for the accuracy of the
quote.
Iran's statement also alleged there are Iranian citizens "imprisoned
in the U.S. under false and unproven accusations." It called on the
United Nations to "play an effective role" in clarifying "the fate of
... imprisoned Iranians in the U.S."
Bauer and Fattal pleaded not guilty at a closed-door court hearing
on February 6. Iran is scheduled to hear the case against them on July
31. Under Iran's Islamic law, espionage can be punished by execution.
Iran's statement said "any attempt to politicize the matter beyond its legal nature would be harmful and useless".
The case has further complicated relations between Tehran and Washington already fraught over Iran's nuclear activity.
The U.S. State Department in June renewed its call on Iran, with
which Washington has no diplomatic ties, to release the two men.
Western powers suspect Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons
under the cover of an atomic energy program. Tehran denies this, saying
its nuclear activity is entirely peaceful. Reuters
