Clinton calls for release of 3 Americans
ILNA: Iran accused three detained Americans of spying, while US secretary of states called for their release.
Tehran chief prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi said on Monday the three have been accused of espionage and that investigations were continuing.
The White House also called for their release, and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in meddling remarks "We believe strongly that there is no evidence to support any charge whatsoever." AP reported.
she said in Berlin " We would renew our request that the Iranian government exercise compassion and release them, so they can return home."
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, whose country holds the rotating European Union presidency, warned Iran against using "the lives of very young people for political purposes."
Ahmadinejad asked about the spying accusations against the Americans, told reporters in Istanbul, Turkey, said he had no opinion about the case.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused the U.S. of jailing innocent Iranians.
"It must be judged by the judiciary, whether they are spies or not," he said. "There are some Iranians who have spent many years in prison without doing anything wrong, in American prisons."
He said the Americans had crossed the border illegally and Iran has a right to punish them.
"In all countries, crossing borders would have a very heavy sentence, according to the law," he said. "Hopefully, they will have an appropriate answer in the court, and hopefully they will convince the judge that they did not have any intention of crossing the border illegally."
The Americans — Shane Bauer, 27, Sarah Shourd, 31, and Josh Fattal, 27 — have been held in Iran's Evin prison, where Swiss diplomats have visited them twice and said they are healthy.
The three arrested illegally crossing Iran border from Kurdish region in Iraq.
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1388/8/19 - 10:14
News number: 88595