REPUBLISHED FROM FOX 9:

For almost seven months, three U.S. hikers have been detained in Iran. The wait is excruciating for their families. One of the hikers is from Minnesota, and friends and community members are rallying around his family.

A fundraiser at the American Legion in Le Center is part of the community’s fight to free the U.S. hikers. Bauer and the two other hikers have been held captive in Iran for 210 days. Bauer’s mother Cindy Hickey said, “No one’s been able to set eyes on Shane, Josh, or Sarah for over three months, so that’s concerning for us.” Bauer, Sarah Shourd, and Josh Fattal were detained on July 31, after apparently hiking into Iran from Iraqi Kurdistan. The Iranian Government accused the hikers of spying. Their families said it’s all a mistake. Shourd was working as an English teacher. Bauer was working as a freelance journalist. Fattal was in the area, visiting his two friends.

The “fundraiser fish dinner” at the American Legion is helping the families raise money for trips to the Middle East. Iran’s top human right’s official has recommended that they be allowed to visit the hikers in jail. The families are awaiting word to see if they’ll be granted visas to enter Iran.

Sarah Shourd’s mother flew in from California for the fundraiser, and believes the support is crucial. Shourd said, “It makes us feel really good, it keeps us going.” Friends say they’ll continue to support the hikers’ families until they’re freed.

Mothers of Jailed US Hikers Shane Bauer & Sarah Shourd Urge Iran to Release Their Children

REPUBLISHED FROM DEMOCRACY NOW:

Democracy Now spoke to the mothers of Shane Bauer and Sarah Shourd, two of the three Americans detained after mistakenly hiking into Iran last July. This week brought a glimmer of hope when Iran’s top human rights official said he was considering a request by the families to visit them in prison. But with no word from their children for over 200 days and ongoing tensions between the US and Iranian government, the prospects for their release are as uncertain as ever. [includes rush transcript]

In this CBS Early Show interview from February 15, 2010, the mothers of the hikers discuss their concerns for their children 200 days after their capture and discuss their ongoing efforts to free them.