Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, the two Americans held in Iran for the past two years, have now been sentenced to eight years in prison.
The Iranian Television News Network reported today that an informed member of the Iranian judiciary said the sentences were issued at a Tehran Revolutionary Court, and the men have 20 days to appeal them.
Bauer and Fattal were arrested together with their companion, Sarah Shourd, in July of 2009 in the Iran-Iraq border region. They were accused of illegal entry into Iran, and authorities later added the charge of espionage. The Americans denied the charges and insisted they had inadvertently strayed into Iranian territory during a hiking trip in Iraq.
Shourd was released on bail last September for medical reasons.
Today’s report indicates that the Americans received three years for “illegal entry” and another five years for the charge of “spying for American intelligence services.”
The report adds that Shourd’s case remains open because she has failed to appear in court.
