World / Iran Hikers Go on Trial in Iran Case goes forward without Sarah Shourd present By Polly Davis Doig, Newser Staff Posted Feb 6, 2011 6:43 AM CST Copied In this May 20, 2010 file photo, Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd, and Josh Fattal sit at the Esteghlal Hotel in Tehran, Iran. (Anonymous) An Iranian court today began the closed-door trial of the three American hikers it accuses of espionage, reports the AP, in spite of repeated pleas for leniency from the hikers' families and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad alike. Iran last week demanded the return of Sarah Shourd, currently free on bail, but the trial goes forward with only Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer in custody in Tehran. (More Iran stories.) Report an error