Sarah Shourd: Hiker Talks of Year in Iran Prison

By now, everyone's heard Sarah Shourd's story. She and two other hikers accidentally hiked across the Iran border while on a hike through Northern Iraq.

If you haven't heard Shourd speak, you should turn to the local news to hear and see her talk about her year in an Iranian prison. This story is a terrible story of three hikers who crossed over into Iran, creating a political scandal that has found no ending.

The two other hikers, Shane Bauer and friend Josh Fattal, along with Shourd, were captured by Iranian police while hiking along the Iraq-Iran border.

Since her release, she speaks of the simple things in life: holding hands with her fiancé, Friday night entertainment, and the day she saw her mother for the first time. These happy moments were spent every day when she was able to see her two friends for a mere hour a day. The truth is that her days were spent alone in solitary confinement.

For us to comprehend what she endured, we would need to be locked inside a small cell with no one to speak to or see ... to be able to use the bathroom, we would be blindfolded. The thought makes us shiver with disgust. Who would do such a thing to American citizens?

Of course, we know the answer is Iran. The Iranian president has always been outspoken on his thoughts. This is not different now, as he talks about the United States, the hikers, and his viewpoints.

What we know about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

President Ahmadinejad isn't afraid of the United States or any other country in the world. As far as America goes, we've heard his view on 9/11: that the United States is responsible. Or course, his reasoning only helps his cause of keeping the focus off of him, his country, and the many nuclear weapon claims. Iran has long been thought to have been a center point for terrorism cells, so it make sense that he would try to keep all attention away from him and terrorists. Why blame the victims of the crime, instead of those who did the crime?

The victims of 9/11 are not responsible, nor is the United States government, or United States citizens. The Iranian president is attempting to take blame away from Iran, which is hard to do when he has two American citizens sitting inside one of his Iranian prisons. Whether or not he is open to negations with the United States seems moot, as he wants something in return for the release of the hikers.

The United States shouldn't give up anything to Iran, especially as he probably wants Iranians released from United States prisons. The President of the United States needs to intervene on behalf of the hikers. Our allies need to take a firm stance. This could happen to their countrymen. We need to lock arms and force the Iranian President to set our fellow Americans free. After 14 months in prison, it's time for our country to stand firm, and get these prisoners released.

Sources:

Hiker Speaks