Years after being released from prison in Iran, three American hikers sounded off Wednesday on why the U.S. was partially to blame for the ordeal they faced.
Sarah Shourd, Shane Bauer, and Josh Fattal joined HuffPost Live to discuss their new book, "A Sliver Of Light," detailing their harrowing experiences. The trio said that while Iran was ultimately responsible for their detention, the U.S.' aggressive approach toward the Middle East did not make matters easier.
Bauer pointed to the treatment of foreign prisoners in Guantanamo, saying that thanks to that factor, the U.S. lacked "legitimacy" with its demands.
"There was a time where I was in solitary confinement and I complained to the guards after being in solitary for a few months and said 'Why are we still in solitary? Why won't you let us out?'" Bauer recalled. "And the guard said 'Well, what about Guantanamo? How long are people in solitary there?'"
Shourd agreed with the Guantanamo viewpoint, adding that as former prisoners, the group could not help but connect themselves to the "psychological torture" experienced in facilities across the U.S.
"That's the image that we're projecting to the world," Shourd said of Guantanamo. "No one should be held for any reason without charges, without due process."
Fattal added that non-American prisoners were released from Iran with much less resistance due to better relations, citing Belgian and French individuals who were able to leave after just a few months of captivity.
"I have to admit, I was so glad that they were free," Fattal said. "But I was a little bit jealous. Their foreign ministers can just come and pick them up."
Watch the full clip above.
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