Two United States hikers detained in Iran have been sentenced to eight-year prison terms on charges of illegal entry and espionage, the Iranian state television website reported Saturday.
The website quoted an unnamed informed source as saying that the two were sentenced to three years for illegal entry and five years for espionage, Iranian khabaronline.ir website reported.
The report has neither been confirmed by the judiciary.
Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal were arrested along with a third US citizen, Sarah Shourd, in July 2009 when they allegedly crossed the unmarked border while hiking in Iraq's Kurdistan region.
Shourd was released in September on health grounds after posting 500,000 dollars in bail, and returned to the United States.
Joshua Felix Fattal, along with Shane Michael Bauer, and Sarah Emily Shourd, were arrested in the western Iranian district of Marivan, at the Malakh-Khur border point, in 2009, while they were hiking near Iran's border with Iraq. They were charged with illegally crossing the border and espionage. Shourd was released on bail of $500,000 on Sept.14. A centence to Saraj Shord is being excepted.