ID :
208554
Wed, 09/21/2011 - 11:57
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/208554
The shortlink copeid
Iranian President Calls for Justice for Iranian Inmates in West
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad asked on the western states, specially the US, to release or, at least, give a fair trial to the scores of people, including Iranian nationals, held in the US jails inside the United States or in certain European countries.
Speaking in an interview with the American ABC network, the Iranian president reaffirmed the release of two US nationals convicted of spying and jailed in Tehran, saying, "We act upon whatever we say. And if we don't want to act, we won't say it. We didn't make this decision under pressure."
"It's a humanitarian decision. Although, a lot of people are in jail or in prison in American prisons, inside the United States, in Europe, on ships unfortunately there are a lot of people without having had the opportunity of a fair trial."
"I did say within the next few days and I still say the same thing. And God willing they will be released very soon," Ahmadinejad told ABC television confirming his announcement last week on the two Americans, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal.
ABC released excerpts of the interview, portions of which were to air Tuesday on "World News with Diane Sawyer" with the full interview appearing Wednesday on "Good Morning America".
ABC interviewed the Iranian president after he landed in New York to attend a meeting at the UN General Assembly.
Ahmadinejad told US media last week that the pair, who have been held after illegally crossing Iran's rugged borders with Iraq on July 31, 2009, would be released soon in future. But cabinet officials later reminded that the country's Judiciary has the final say on the case.
The judiciary said later that no decision had yet been taken and that it was studying a request by the lawyer to post bail.
Bauer and Fattal were arrested along with a third hiker, Sarah Shourd, who left Iran in September last year after being granted bail on humanitarian and medical grounds.
Shourd's bail had been set at $500,000 and was paid through Oman, a US Persian Gulf ally that maintains friendly relations with Iran.
Speaking in an interview with the American ABC network, the Iranian president reaffirmed the release of two US nationals convicted of spying and jailed in Tehran, saying, "We act upon whatever we say. And if we don't want to act, we won't say it. We didn't make this decision under pressure."
"It's a humanitarian decision. Although, a lot of people are in jail or in prison in American prisons, inside the United States, in Europe, on ships unfortunately there are a lot of people without having had the opportunity of a fair trial."
"I did say within the next few days and I still say the same thing. And God willing they will be released very soon," Ahmadinejad told ABC television confirming his announcement last week on the two Americans, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal.
ABC released excerpts of the interview, portions of which were to air Tuesday on "World News with Diane Sawyer" with the full interview appearing Wednesday on "Good Morning America".
ABC interviewed the Iranian president after he landed in New York to attend a meeting at the UN General Assembly.
Ahmadinejad told US media last week that the pair, who have been held after illegally crossing Iran's rugged borders with Iraq on July 31, 2009, would be released soon in future. But cabinet officials later reminded that the country's Judiciary has the final say on the case.
The judiciary said later that no decision had yet been taken and that it was studying a request by the lawyer to post bail.
Bauer and Fattal were arrested along with a third hiker, Sarah Shourd, who left Iran in September last year after being granted bail on humanitarian and medical grounds.
Shourd's bail had been set at $500,000 and was paid through Oman, a US Persian Gulf ally that maintains friendly relations with Iran.
