About Those Three Hikers...

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DM
by DM
20-Nov-2009
 

About those three hikers…

In yesterday’s New York Times, a representative of the Iranian government wrote, “It is also our position that the three American hikers entered Iranian territory illegally, and that it is the right of every government to take action, particularly when issues related to national security are involved. Iran is only doing what any sovereign country would do.”

As a guy who likes to do a lot of hiking, I didn’t have a whole lot of sympathy initially for the three Americans. Sure, we’re all human. Screw-ups happen. But really, you know you’re right on the border. You know relations between Iran and the US aren’t, ah, exactly great. Wouldn’t you carry a compass? Maybe figure out where the border is before you go wandering around? Any time you’re pushing the envelope, like they were and I sometimes do, you should be as prepared as possible so that you don’t unnecessarily impose on others.

So I think the three hikers should have been charged with illegally crossing an international border. And then, after suffering a consequence commensurate with their “crime,” they should have been sent home.

Instead what happened is that they were thrown in Evin Prison, accused of being spies (although there appears to be no evidence to support this charge), and are now being used as pawns in an international chess (make that checkers) game.

Which brings me back to the IRI’s statement in the yesterdays New York Times: “Iran is only doing what any sovereign country would do.”

That is a complete crock.

What the IRI is doing is the kind of thing North Korea would do. Remember Laura Ling and Eura Lee, the reporters who strayed across North Korea’s border earlier this year and were held until Kim Jong Il got to look like a big shot by meeting with Bill Clinton?

We’ve seen this movie before.

What happens next is that the IRI will continue to use the hikers as a way to try to deflect attention from the nuclear issue. At some point, however, they'll decide such a strategy has become counterproductive. Whereupon the hikers will be released and IRI will demand to be applauded for their magnanimous gesture.

They’ll demand respect, as if they actually merit it.

Ferdowsi, Hafez, Sadi…the IRI. Talk about a nation of contrasts.

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more from DM
 
divaneh

One thing is for sure

by divaneh on

They will come out safely and then they will be in the spot light and can make a few bobs from interviews and exclusive rights to their story. Did they think of that?


Abarmard

DM

by Abarmard on

What you say makes sense. Perhaps they are using these guys as a chip to exchange "hostages". If it was me I would definitely release these guys after a fine for entering illegally. These kinds of behavior costs a lot in the long run.


Q

Illegal aliens in the US are often mistreated

by Q on

and detained for months. They are often put together with common criminals, children, even are jailed. There's been 100s of such cases.

And Iranian civilians have been detained in Iraq and even tortured by US troops.

Unless there's abuse or mistreatment going on, Iran has the legal right to address this how it sees fit. I don't discount the possiblity of "political pawns" being used in a chess game. But it takes two to play chess.


DM

Thanks for commenting

by DM on

Thanks for commenting everyone.

Abarmard--Regarding whether they're really in Evin or not: the AP and other news outlets have reported that they are, and that they have been visited by Swiss diplomats on at least two occasions. Sometimes these news reports are wrong, though, so we'll see...

I agree with you that the hikers' presence in such a sensitive region is indeed suspicious. I don't think they were just tourists. But I also don't think they were spies.

Their families have said they were trying to be freelance reporters. This matches up with what we know they were doing in other areas prior to being captured. So if you ask me, I think they were a couple young people pushing the envelope, trying to make a name for themselves and taking boneheaded risks that they shouldn't have been taking. (In my case, this is the pot calling the kettle black.) That's deserving of punishment for sure. But as I said in my original post, accusing them as being spies and using them as a political football is another thing entirely. And unfortunately it's not the first time the IRI has resorted to such tactics.

Could I be wrong about what they were up to? Sure. Maybe they really were spies--but if so, they some of the absolute worst spies out there. I mean, really, it was broad daylight in a pretty popular hiking area! The CIA has certainly had their share of screw-ups, but this would be taking it to an entirely new level.

Thanks again for weighing in.

DM


Abarmard

I don't buy it

by Abarmard on

So the hiking trails in Iraq and Iran is exceptionally great that these innocent nature tourists first hang out in the (strangely) "Kordestan" of Iraq, where there are many traces of those separatists, then as eye witness and Iraqis have said, they ignored warninigs about the Iranian border, were told where the borders are, and that they should be careful.

They went inside fully aware. Now what's the deal, intentions, or whatever, no one exactly knows. But I am certainly very suspicious of their presence in that region, area, and crossing Iran. Some more data is needed.

Now more importantly, the Iranian citizens are robbed on the clear day light and no one knows where they are, which is worse than the Iranian regime who captured these visitors!

Finally, I am not sure if they are in Evin Prison.

Thanks for the post.


Ari Siletz

Thanks DM

by Ari Siletz on

Pending more info, this weighs in favor of the trespass being unintentional, or at least not ill-intentioned.

DM

Responding to Mr. Siletz:

by DM on

Responding to Mr. Siletz: Daytime.

News reports indicate they were detained at 1:30 in the afternoon.


yolanda

........

by yolanda on

I am just curious who will be sent to Iran to negotiate the release of the hikers if IRI and US need to negotiate. What will be the conditions for the release? What does IRI want to get from this saga? 

 

Delaram Banafsheh (Yolanda)

"Cactus in the Desert"


Ari Siletz

Day or night?

by Ari Siletz on

Does anyone know if the crossing was done at night or in daytime?

farokh2000

Let's look at this from all sides

by farokh2000 on

There is no question that the criminal Mullahs should not even exist, let alone run the Country into dirt, like they have been doing for the last 30 years.

We also need to remember that the chief criminal Mullah, Khomeni had been protected by CIA for over 30 years in exile until 1979, when he was brought back to Iran by them.

At the same time, the Country is circled by US troops and the US influenced agents who are instructed to create chiaos to give them an excuse.

In this kind of condition, how do you go hiking in that area and not know that you need to make sure you have not crossed the line?

I am pretty sure there is more to this than the stories we have been told by the Government run Media in this Country and also in Iran.


pedro

Politics as usual.

by pedro on

Why would anyone with little bit of sense go to a border between Iran and Iraq to climb a f***ing mountain. Was there any other mountain on this earth that would satisfy their climbing urge? No, they had to go to that specific mountain where the two most American loving, friendliest countries/governments are bordering each other.

I think they are part of a biger picture than we are lead to believe. I have no sympathy for  anyone of them. They are either stupid or they were deliberately placed there for some give and takes, in the nuke issue.


MRX1

Adamheyh bikar

by MRX1 on

So many places on the face of earth that you can hike and these morons choose mountains between Iran and Iraq! where do they go when they want to go to a beach, to sumalia? Adam bikar va khol o chel to donya ziadeh.....


yolanda

.......

by yolanda on

I agree with you 100% that, the 3 hikers are just like Laura Ling and Euna Lee....IRI wants to bring US to its knees and then release them like Roxana Saberi.......I read in the news that the hotel people in Iraq warned the Americans not to go for the hiking 'cause it is close to the border and the border is not clearly marked.....sometimes Americans are very defiant, they act like they don't have to listen to anyone.....

I believe the 3 Americans will go thru the process like Ms. Saberi, and then IRI will extend the "Islamic compassion" to them and let them go....

Thanks for the article! 

 

Delaram Banafsheh (Yolanda)

"Cactus in the Desert"