candlelight

Family and friends of the three hikers being held in Iran will hold a candlelight vigil for them tonight in Berkeley.

Sarah Shourd, 31, Shane Bauer, 27, and Josh Fattal, 27, all former UC Berkeley students,  were arrested five months ago after they strayed onto Iranian soil while trekking in northern Iraq. On Monday, the Iranian government announced it would hold a trial for the trio on charges of espionage.

“It has been a long detention — five months,” Nora Shourd, mother of Sarah Shourd, told the Oakland Tribune. “This is long enough. Please send them home for the holidays.”

The vigil will be held will be held at 6 p.m. on the fourth floor of the David Brower Center, 2150 Allston Way, in Berkeley.

Frances Dinkelspiel, Berkeleyside and CItyside co-founder, is a journalist and author. Her first book, Towers of Gold: How One Jewish Immigrant Named Isaias Hellman Created California, published in November...