US Secretary's Remarks: Statement on American Hikers Detained inIran

By Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
April 23, 2010
I was pleased to learn of the consular visit yesterday by the Swiss Ambassador in Iran to the three detained American hikers, Shane Bauer, Josh Fattal, and Sarah Shourd. But we are disturbed by the families' reports of their children's physical and emotional health. These three Americans -- innocent tourists in Iraq's Kurdistan region when they were detained on July 31, 2009 -- have been unjustly held for almost nine months without formal charges or access to legal representation. We ask the Islamic Republic of Iran to release these three Americans and allow them to go home and be reunited with their families.