Update 17:05 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The two US men who were jailed by Iran after hiking in the Iranian border area are reported by the Iranian state news agency to be free and en route home, and AP is reporting that a convoy has left Evin Prison, with Swiss and Omani diplomats and police and possibly the two men.
Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal have been held by Iran since they were arrested in July 2009 while hiking with Sarah Shourd. She was released and sent home on $500,000 bail, and the release of the men is also reportedly for similar bail. The two men were sentenced to eight years in prison for spying.
Switzerland, which represents US affairs in Iran, has been actively involved in negotiations to free the Americans but the Swiss government has remained mum on the affair.
SION, SWITZERLAND – A Scottish hiker, who has not yet been formally identified, died from a 200 metre fall while hiking at mid-altitude in canton Valais near Verbier Thursday afternoon, say Valais police.
He was hiking with another Scottish tourist at Tracouet, heading towards the Lac des Vaux, when he slipped and fell into a couloir, for reasons that are not yet clear.
The accident occurred under the Pointe des Champs de Ferret, at 2,500 metres, about 13:40, in the Ridde district.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Tuesday 10 November that the three US hikers detained by Iran after they strayed across the border from Iraq last July face charges of illegally entering the country. Other charges may be filed. The US has called for the three to be released, and insists that they were wrongly detained. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in Germany Monday 9 November, “We believe strongly that there is no evidence to support any charge whatsoever.” AFP , AP (video)
Update 3 / 30 September Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Swiss foreign ministry spokesman Lars Knuchel told GenevaLunch Wednesday morning 30 September that a Swiss delegation has indeed visited the three US hikers held by Iran since they strayed over the border in July. Reuters reported the news late Tuesday, which appeared to conflict with US Assistant Secretary of State Philip Crowley saying at a press conference in Washington that the Swiss would be granted consular access to the three, but the US had not been told this has actually taken place. Knuchel says the State Department was informed of the visits; in cases where Switzerland represents the interests of one country with another, the Swiss foreign ministry cannot provide any information or details until the other government, this case the US, has done so. The US has not yet made public any further details. so the Swiss will not release more information.
Switzerland represents the interests of the US in Iran. The two broke off diplomatic relations in 1980.
The families and the US government have had no contact with Joshua Fattal, Shane Bauer, and Sarah Shourd since they were arrested in a remote mountainous area on the Iraq/Iran border for illegal entry.
Cows have killed four people in the past two months in separate incidents in the UK, and the national farmers union (NFU) has issued a warning to walkers, especially with dogs, who come into contact with cows. The cows can be particularly dangerous when they have calved, and may become aggressive when they feel threatened. The NFU has teamed up with the national hikers association, the Ramblers, to educate people about the dangers. One of the four killed was a veterinary surgeon. Reuters
