Trial of the American detainees in Iran was once more postponed today after prison authorities failed to transfer Shane Bauer and Joshua Fattal to court.
According to ISNA Massoud Shafii, defence attorney for the three accused Americans said that while everyone was present at court the detainees were not brought to trial and therefore a new trial date was set by the judge.
Shafii informed the court that Sarah Shourd, who was released on bail last September and is now in the United States, would not be able to appear in court due to medical reasons. Shafii reportedly presented the court with medical documents provided by Shourd’s physicians.
This is the second time the trial of the American detainees has been postponed.
The three Americans were taken into custody in the border regions of Iran-Iraq in summer of 2009. While they maintain that they were hiking in the mountainous regions of Iraq, Iranian authorities have accused them of illegal entry into Iran and espionage.
Massoud Shafii had said earlier that the state has shown no evidence for the charge of espionage and also maintains that even the charge of illegal entry should be dismissed because the border regions are not clearly marked.
Shafii told Associated Press that the authorities gave no explanation of why they failed to bring his clients to court today. He added that he has not been allowed to visit his clients despite his repeated requests.
The families of the two detainees have expressed even more concern for their kin as a result of their non-appearance in court today.
