ABOUT THIS BLOG

This blog is a forum for friends, family and supporters of Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd & Josh Fattal, who were detained by Iranian authorities while on a brief hiking vacation in Iraqi Kurdistan. This blog is an interactive supplement to the official Free the Hikers campaign website. This blog is administered by friends and supporters of Shane, Sarah and Josh, while the official site is administered by their families.

If you haven’t done so yet, please register with the site here: JOIN. Once you’ve registered, you will be able to post to the site. Once you submit a post, it will be reviewed by a moderator and published.

Most of the categories are self-explanatory, but where necessary, we’ve posted a brief explanation. Those listed under “REFLECTIONS” are meant to be the core space for friends and supporters to share their reflections, experiences and the like. As the site evolves, the site will too; however, below are some guidelines for each subcategory.

REFLECTIONS SUBCATEGORIES:

• I Remember: Place for friends, family and supporters of the hikers to post memories of times they’ve spent with the hikers.
• Letters to the Hikers: Place to post messages for the hikers to read once they’ve been freed. If possible, we will try to send these to the hikers to read while they are in Evin Prison.
• On the Road Home: This is a space for friends, family and supporters to write about their experiences and reflections as we endeavor to bring the hikers home. These may include a variety of posts, such as journals about planning and/or attending HOPE VIGILS, thoughts on current events, general reflections about their plight, etc.
• Quotes: We encourage people to post their favorite quotes here. Please include a note about why this quote seems apropos.

If you have any other questions, please visit the ABOUT THIS BLOG section. Please post any questions you have about this blog’s content or functionality there, in addition to any suggestions you may have for improvements. In that section, you will also find general information about the blog and responses to any questions and suggestions posted.

THE HIKERS’ STORY:

Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal have been detained in Iran since July 31, 2009, when news reports say they accidentally crossed an unmarked border during a hiking trip in the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan. They were in a peaceful region of Iraq that is increasingly popular with Western tourists.

The three young Americans, all graduates of the University of California at Berkeley, are being held in Evin Prison in Tehran. No charge against them has been presented in a court of law and they have only be able to contact their families once.

Shane, Josh and Sarah care greatly about the world in which we live. They admire and respect different cultures and religions and share a love of travel that has taken them to many countries. That is why they went to Kurdistan, not because they wanted to enter Iran.

We hope the Iranian authorities understand that if Shane, Sarah and Josh were in Iranian territory there is just one reason: because they made a regrettable mistake and got lost. Please let them return home as soon as possible.

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