BERKELEY, Calif., May 18 (UPI) -- The mothers of three U.S. hikers imprisoned in Iran say they will plead for their children's release during a visit to Iran this week.
Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal -- three University of California, Berkeley graduates -- were arrested July 31 when they crossed from the Kurdistan region of Iraq into Iran. The three have denied they were spying.
Their mothers were granted temporary visas to enter Iran this week, though it was uncertain if the women would be allowed to meet with their children, the Oakland (Calif.) Tribune reported Tuesday.
"More than nine months in prison is sufficient punishment for any transgression our children may have committed and we urge the authorities to allow them to come home with us. This nightmare has lasted too long," the mothers said in a statement Monday.
The three hikers have not been charged and Bauer and Shourd reportedly were suffering potentially serious medical problems, the mothers said.
