Sara Shourd will be summoned again: Iranian judiciary spokesman

TEHRAN,Mar.1(MNA) – Sarah Shourd, the U.S. citizen who was arrested in Iran in 2009, will be summoned again to appear at the court, Iranian Judiciary spokesman Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei said on Monday.

Sarah Shourd, Shane Bauer, and Joshua Fattal were arrested on July 31, 2009 by border guards after illegally entering Iran’s territory from Iraq’s Kurdistan region. The three have been charged with illegal entry and espionage.

The trial session of three U.S. citizens was held in February 6, but Shourd, who was released from prison on bail of $500,000 on September 14, 2010, did not attend the trial.

She did not attend the trial session and only sent a written defense, but it is more than likely that the court will reject her defense and summon her again, Mohseni-Ejei, who is also the national prosecutor general, told reporters in Tehran.

If she again does not appear at the court, new decision will be made about her case, he said.

Iran had already announced that if Shourd does not return to Iran to stand trial, the bail put up for her release will be seized.