MINNEAPOLIS—The families of three American hikers detained in Iran say they’re encouraged that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (ah-muh-DEE’-neh-zhahd) has indicated he supports leniency for their loved ones.
Ahmadinejad said in an Associated Press interview Tuesday that he would ask the country’s judiciary to expedite the process and to “look at the case with maximum leniency.”
Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal have been held in Iran for 53 days after apparently straying into Iran while hiking in northern Iraq’s Kurdistan region in July.
Their families released a joint statement Wednesday calling Ahmadinejad’s remarks an “expression of compassion” and saying they hope it means Iranian authorities will allow them to speak to their loved ones “without delay.”
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Hikers’ families’ Web site:
