Freed American Hiker Releases Video Urging Release of U.S. Prisoners in Iran

Imprisoned in Iran

Americans Sarah Shourd, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal were detained by Iranian authorities on July 31, 2009, while hiking along the Iran-Iraq border, and accused of spying. After more than a year in captivity, Shourd was released in September due to health problems. Bauer and Fattal, meanwhile, could reportedly be released within a "couple of days," Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Sept. 13, 2011.

An American hiker who spent 410 days in solitary confinement on espionage charges in Iran has released a music video calling for the release of her fiancé and close friend.

Sarah Shourd, 32, released "Piece of Time" on a YouTube channel dedicated to the three American hikers who were arrested near Iran's border with Iraq in July 2009 during what they claim was an innocent hiking trip. Iran released Shourd on medical grounds on Sept. 14 and a trial in Iran for Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal is scheduled for Feb. 6.

"I wrote many songs in prison that helped me get through 410 days alone in a cell," Shourd said in a statement released Wednesday. "When we were finally allowed to spend a short time together in the yard of Evin Prison each day, I would sing Shane and Josh my songs. I know they're singing them now to keep our connection strong during this painful separation."

Shourd has appealed to Iranian authorities to allow Bauer -- her fiancé -- and Fattal to rejoin their families for the holiday season. She is also urging supporters to redouble their efforts to secure their release.

"The last time I saw Shane and Josh, on the day I was freed, they asked me to use my music to raise support for them and get them out of prison," Shourd's statement continued. "Music has its own power, as do images. It's my hope that the song and video can bring people closer to our story in a new and powerful way."

Relatives of Bauer and Fattal claim that both men said during brief phone calls over the weekend that they haven't had access to their lawyer and do not know the status of their cases.

Bauer called his mother, Cindy Hickey, of Minnesota, and sounded "strong but frustrated," she said.

"He said, 'I have no idea what's going on with my case, what's happening with it,"' Hickey said. "I just told him that we're working on this, to have faith that we're going to do everything we can to get him home."

The Associated Press contributed to this report