From The “WTF Were They Thinking” Department
I mean, there are lots of cool and neat places in the world to hike that not located on the Iraq/Iran border
(CNN) — Swiss diplomats are trying to meet with three American hikers being held in Iran, the Swiss Embassy in Tehran said Monday.
Ahmed Awa, on the border of Iraq and Iran, is where police saw and warned the American hikers Friday.
The embassy would not say whether Iranian authorities had responded to their request or if diplomats had met the Americans.
Four American friends — seasoned travelers — were hiking through Iraq’s Kurdistan region last week before three of them crossed the unmarked border with Iran, where Iranian authorities detained them.
Of course, since one of them is a self-described “teacher-activist-writer from California currently based in the Middle East” I’m sure they’ll have no problems with the Peaceful Authorities whose guests they currently are.
The three are Shane Bauer, who “graduated with honors from UC Berkeley with a degree in Peace and Conflict Studies;” Joshua Fattal also is a UC Berkeley grad “with passionate committment to the environment and human rights” (hey, that’s a direct copy from the Philly.com website) who “most recently worked and lived at Aprovecho Research Center in Cottage Grove, Ore. The nonprofit facility is located on a 40-acre ranch and is focused on sustainable living skills, sustainable forestry and organic gardening;” Sarah Shourd is “an teacher-activist-writer from California currently based in the Middle East. She loves fresh broccoli, Zapatistas and anyone who can change her mind.”
Really, I hope for the best for these, well, idiots, and that they survive their introduction to the real world.