Iran official expects trial soon for 3 Americans

[June 11, 2010]  GENEVA (AP) -- Iran's top human rights official says three Americans detained on suspicion of spying will likely go on trial soon.

Mohammad Javad Larijani, the secretary general of Iran's High Council for Human Rights, says he thinks it "should not be very far from now" before all evidence is collected and prosecutors decide whether to press charges.

He told reporters Friday in Geneva that the latest sanctions imposed by the U.N. Security Council against Iran over its nuclear program shouldn't affect a possible trial.

The three Americans -- Sarah Shourd, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal -- were arrested along the Iraqi border last July. Iran has accused them of espionage and entering the country illegally. Their families say they were hiking in Iraq and accidentally crossed the border.

[Associated Press]

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