The Washington Post, Tehran, 18 Sept 2011 – The release of two American hikers jailed in Iran was delayed Sunday because one of the judges whose signature is required on the paperwork is on vacation, the lawyer representing the two men said.
The lawyer, Masoud Shafiei, said when he attempted to get the two signatures required for the $1 million bail deal for Shane Bauer and Joshua Fattal, he was told one of the judges needed to sign off on the agreement was on vacation, and to return at a later date.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had said last week that he intended to release the men, both 29, who have been jailed for two years on charges of espionage and grant them a unilateral pardon.
A day later however, Iran’s powerful judiciary, which is independent from other powers in the country, denied Ahmadinejad’s statement.
Meantime, a delegation of American priests and Islamic activists that had arrived in Tehran on Tuesday from the United States, planned to return home Sunday, after having been invited by Ahmadinejad to come to Iran to expedite the release of Bauer and Fattal.
A representative of the group, who wished to remain anonymous until he and the other members leave Iran, said that they had been unable to meet with Bauer and Fattal, even though Iranian authorities had tried to arrange such a meeting. It was unclear what had prevented the group from meeting men inside Evin prison. They did meet with Ahmadinejad, Shiite clerics and politicians, and were optimistic the release would happen eventually.
The release is a detail for now, the big picture is that we expedited their release which will happen very soon, the representative said.
The delay comes amidst an unfolding political battle within Iran over the release of the two Americans. Ahmadinejad is embroiled in a power struggle over his erratic polices and controversial advisers, which many influential Shiite Muslim clerics that once supported him say are undermining their influence.
The delay of the men’s release also coincides with Ahmadinejad’s departure for New York on Monday where he and other world leaders will address the annual General Assembly meeting of the United Nations.
Ahmadinejad, whose government has gone on an international charm offensive over its controversial nuclear program and other issues, has indicated he would favor bringing the two men to New York himself. Arriving in the United States without Bauer and Fattal at least freed, would underscore Ahmadinejad’s diminishing political clout in Iran at a time when he is internationally presenting himself as the person to deal with within Iran’s complex power structure.
Some members of Iran’s parliament are also objecting to the release, demanding that the United States free an Iranian woman held in Florida since 2009 for her involvement in the attempted export of night vision equipment to Iran. Lawmaker Zohreh Elahian, told the semi-official Fars news agency Sunday that Shahrzad Mir Gholi-Khani, 33, should be released in return for Bauer and Fattal’s freedom.