Amnesty responds to Iran's release of American hiker

The good news: Yesterday, American hiker Sarah Shourd was released from the Iranian prison where she and two other Americans have been held since July 2009. Shourd, who is suffering from some health problems, was reportedly released on $500,000 bail.

The bad news: The other two, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, are still in Iranian custody.

Amnesty International had this to say about her release:

"While we welcome the ordered release of Sarah, Iran must give the others a prompt and fair trial, or they must be immediately released. Iranian officials have alleged the hikers planned to carry out espionage. Statements by senior Iranian leaders have suggested that they may be being detained in order to put pressure on the U.S. government and to possibly use them as bargaining chips. Hostage taking is a human rights violation."

While Iran isn't known for worrying about what the rest of the world expects of them, their willingness to release Shourd gives me some hope. I wish her a safe trip home and a quick and easy recovery from her health problems.

And I continue to hope for the other two to be released soon, or at least be given a fair trial.

Fingers crossed.

Stay tuned for updates.