AFP’ New York’ 25 Sept 2011 – Two US hikers described a horrifying ordeal Sunday in which Iran held them for over two years in ‘almost complete isolation’ while they heard the agonizing screams of beaten prisoners.
‘Solitary confinement was the worst experience of our lives’’ Josh Fattal told reporters in New York after returning to the United States with fellow hiker Shane Bauer.
They noted that Bauer’s fiancée Sarah Shourd’ who was released a year ago for health reasons’ was held in ‘nightmare’ solitary confinement for 14 months’ though she could meet with the two men for one hour a day.
‘In all the time we spent in detention’ we had a total of 15 minutes of telephone calls with our families and one’ short visit from our mothers. We had to go on hunger strike repeatedly just to receive letters from our loved ones’’ said Fattal.
‘Many times’ too many times’ we heard the screams of other prisoners being beaten and there was nothing we could do to help them.’
Bauer and Fattal’ both 29’ were arrested with Shourd’ 33’ near the mountainous border with Iraq on July 31’ 2009. All three have always maintained they are innocent of spying and simply strayed across the border into Iran.
Shourd’ a teacher’ writer and women’s rights activist’ met Bauer’ a fluent Arabic-speaking freelance journalist’ while helping to organize demonstrations in the US against the war in Iraq. The two moved to Damascus together in 2008.
Fattal’ who grew up in Pennsylvania’ is an environmentalist and teacher. He traveled in 2009 to Damascus’ where he met Shourd and Bauer’ who got engaged during their time in captivity.