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An American woman released from prison in Iran
says she won't go back to stand trial there alongside two fellow
hikers charged with spying for the U.S.


      Sarah Shourd told The Associated Press on Wednesday that she is
suffering post-traumatic stress disorder and returning would be
"far too traumatic after what I've already been through."


      The three Americans insist they were on an innocent hiking trip
during a vacation in Kurdistan, the semi-autonomous region in the
north of Iraq, when they were arrested by Iranian soldiers on July
31, 2009. U.S. authorities have repeatedly called for their release
and denied that the hikers were involved in espionage.


      Shourd was released from Iranian custody on bail in September.
Her fiance Shanee Bauer and friend Josh Fattal, both still
imprisoned in Tehran, are scheduled for a second session of their
trial on May 11.


      Bauer, a Minnesota native, and Fattal pleaded innocent in a
first trial session in February. Shourd pleaded innocent in
absentia. The hikers say they did not realize they had crossed into
Iran.


      Shourd said the three had visited the popular tourist village of
Ahmed Awa and then hiked onward along a trail that local people had
recommended.


      "When Shane and Josh and I met the Iranian soldiers, we were
completely shocked. There was absolutely no indication of a
border," she said.


      Shourd said she was diagnosed with the stress disorder by
clinical forensic psychologist Barry Rosenfeld. She said the
five-page psychological evaluation had been sent to the Iranian
Revolutionary Court. Shourd said she had not heard back in response
to her refusal to go back for trial on the grounds that she risked
"renewed or even worse psychological problems" if she returns.


      "My own mental health makes me even more afraid for what is
happening with Shane and Josh," Shourd said. "I was there for 14
months and Shane and Josh have now been there for over 21 months.
So I can't imagine the toll it's taken on them."


      Shourd was released on $500,000 bail arranged through the Gulf
nation of Oman, which has close ties to the West and Iran. Iranian
officials ordered Shourd back for the trial. By refusing to respond
to the request, her bail likely will be forfeited. The source of
the bail payment has not been disclosed.


      Shourd and Bauer had been living together in Damascus, Syria,
where Bauer was working as a freelance journalist and Shourd as an
English teacher. Fattal, an environmental activist, went to visit
them in July 2009 shortly before their trip to northern Iraq.


      It was impossible to forecast what punishment Bauer and Fattal
could face if found guilty, because of the secretive nature of the
Iranian judicial system. Their case recalls that of
American-Iranian journalist Roxanna Saberi, who was arrested in
Iran in January 2009, convicted of espionage and sentenced to eight
years in prison. She was freed on appeal in May 2009.
      

Gallery

Families of US hikers in Iran hope case nearing resolution

Iran opens trial of 3 Americans on spy charges

Iran summons American woman for Feb. 6 trial

American prisoners in Iran call families in US

Families of Americans in Iran still waiting

Iran sets February trial date for 3 Americans

An American woman released from prison in Iran
says she won't be going back to stand trial there alongside two
fellow hikers charged with spying for the U.S.

Freed US hiker not returning for spy trial in Iran

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