July 31 trial date set for American hikers detained in Iran

By the CNN Wire Staff

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Attorney for Americans Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer says trial set for next month
The two men have been held in Iran since July 2009
A third hiker, released last year, alleges the two men were abused
Chief prosecutor disputes allegations of prison abuse

(CNN) -- A July 31 trial date has been set for two American hikers who have been held in Iran since 2009, according to their attorney.

Masoud Shafii, the attorney for Shane Bauer, 28 and Josh Fattal, 29, told CNN the Iranian court notified him this week that the trial will start at the end of July.

Earlier this month, the families of Bauer and Fattal released a statement calling for the court session to take place as soon as possible.

"Iran knows Shane and Josh are innocent and so does the world, which is watching how the Iranian authorities treat this case very closely," the statement said. "Shane and Josh are being held without any due process and their mental and physical welfare is in grave danger. Their suffering needs to end now and they should be allowed to return home immediately."

Fattal, Bauer and their friend Sarah Shourd were hiking in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region along the border with Iran when Iranian police arrested them in July 2009.

Iranian authorities said the three crossed into Iran illegally and have accused them of espionage.

Shafii said unlike previous court proceedings, the authorities are not requesting the presence of Shourd. He said because of this, he hopes the trial will come to an end this time.

Shourd, who was released from Iranian custody last year, said she and the two others accidentally strayed across the border. In a recent interview with the BBC, Shourd described the alleged abuse that Fattal and Bauer experienced in Tehran's notorious Evin prison before her release on $500,000 bail in September.

She said the three had feared they would be executed soon after they were arrested when a guard began cocking his gun.

Tehran's chief prosecutor, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, disputed Shourd's account last week, saying the two men have been treated fairly, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency.

Fattal and Bauer were supposed to attend a trial hearing May 11 but never showed. Iranian officials have not explained the men's absence.

CNN's Mitra Mobasherat contributed to this report.