The families of Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal – the three American hikers held in Iran marked the six-month anniversary of their detention. One member of that family, Cindy Hickey - Bauer’s mother - lives in Pine City. The families made this joint statement:

“Six months ago today, on July 31, 2009, Shane, Sarah and Josh were detained by Iranian border guards while they were hiking in a safe area of Iraqi Kurdistan, where they were enjoying a brief vacation. We hoped Iran would quickly establish that they had strayed into the border area inadvertently and deport them. Shane, Sarah and Josh had no intention of entering Iran and we were confident that they would be able to explain that fact to their interrogators.

“Instead, our loved ones continue to be held in Tehran. In the six months since their arrest, Shane, Sarah and Josh have not been allowed to have any contact with us – not a single telephone call, not a single letter. We also understand that they spent several months in solitary confinement. We are increasingly worried about their state of mind. They have received only two brief consular visits from Swiss diplomats, the most recent on Oct. 29. On Dec. 27, we asked a prominent independent Iranian lawyer, Masoud Shafii, to represent our loved ones, yet he has been denied access to them.

“We have respectfully appealed to the most senior authorities in Iran to show compassion and release Shane, Sarah and Josh as a humanitarian gesture. Those appeals have gone unanswered, and we appeal again to the Iranian authorities to release our loved ones so that they may resume their lives.

“In the time that Shane, Sarah and Josh have been detained, five Britons whose yacht drifted into Iranian waters in November were released and three young Belgians who were on vacation in Iran were allowed to leave Iran in late December. We join with the families of the Britons and Belgians in celebrating the return of their loved ones. Yet we also ask – why are Shane, Sarah and Josh still not free? Why can’t we speak to them? Why haven’t they been granted bail or allowed to meet with their lawyer? We do not understand what their continued detention has to do with the facts of the case or the people they are. Shane, Sarah and Josh are peace-loving young people who share a love of the world. We know they meant Iran no harm. We constantly ask ourselves what Iran hopes to gain in the eyes of the world by detaining them any longer.

“Our lives have been on hold for six months and our spirits have flagged many, many times. Our days pass like months and the months seem like years. Despite that, we are constantly encouraged to stay strong by the outpouring of help and support we continue to receive from many different quarters, in the United States and around the world. We are deeply grateful for that support and it sustains us as we continue to work for the day that Shane, Sarah and Josh are free. We love them and miss them more than words can express and we will leave no stone unturned until they are back in our arms.”