Lawyer set to appeal American hikers’ sentence for spying in Iran

The lawyer for two Americans convicted of spying in Iran has said he will appeal their eight-year sentence.

Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal were arrested on the border with Iraq in 2009 where they were hiking. They were found guilty of illegal entry and espionage, a verdict likely to further strain Iran’s already poor relations with Washington.

The pair have already spent more than two years in Tehran’s Evin prison.

“We have 20 days to appeal and I will try my best to use all legal means to annul the sentence,” lawyer Masoud Shafiee said yesterday. Mr Bauer, 28, and Mr Fattal, 29, pleaded not guilty to the charges at their trial, which ended on 31 July.

“Josh and Shane were informed about the verdict yesterday,” Mr Shafiee said, adding that he had not seen them in person. The two years they had already served would count towards their eight-year sentences, he said. In a statement, their families said: “We appeal to the authorities in Iran to show compassion and allow them to return home to our families without delay.”

They were was arrested on 31 July, 2009, near Iran’s border with Iraq, along with Mr Bauer’s girlfriend, Sarah Shourd, 32, who was released on £300,000 bail in September.