Ali turns up the pressure on Iran to release hostage U.S. hikers (video)
May 24, 2011, 2:30 PM EDT
Back in March we told you about the letter that Muhammad Ali sent to Iran, calling for the release of Americans Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer, who were arrested in 2009 while hiking in northern Iraq near the Iranian border. Today Ali appeared at a news conference along with the families of the two hikers to renew their plea for the hostages’ release.
Ali, who suffers from boxing-related Parkinson’s disease, wore sunglasses and had to be helped to walk into the National Press Club ballroom. As he sat motionless in a chair surrounded by Muslim community leaders, his wife Lonnie Ali spoke for him.
Noting that Ali will be 70 years old in January, she said that “when he was a young man, just like these two, Muhammad became a citizen of the world.”
More than a dozen Muslim groups have signed a letter, along with Ali, asking for the hikers’ release. A third member of the group, Sarah Shourd, was released on bail eight months ago and has refused to return to Iran for trial. The three are charged with espionage.
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Muhammad Ali Joins Muslim Leaders’ Call To Release American Hikers In Iran [Huffington Post]
