Last year, when Laura Ling and Euna Lee were detained in North Korea, my brother, Gotham and I actively blogged about their story. Laura is one of Gotham's closest friends, and her detainment was very personal for him. As we got to know Euna's husband, Michael Saldate, and her sweet young daughter, Hanna, the girls long captivity and isolation got more worrisome by the day. We watched their families agonize day and night for any news or developments in their case. There were long periods of depression, hopelessness and fear. In the end, Laura and Euna, thank god, had a joyous reunion with their families in an almost movie like return when Bill Clinton traveled to N. Korea to secure their release.
Around the world, there are many journalists and innocent people being detained, and sadly not many of their stories get the attention that Laura and Euna did, nor the happy ending. Right now, one case that I am watching closely is the detainment of Shane, Sarah and Josh.
The three of them were traveling in the peaceful region of Iraqi Kurdistan and mistakenly crossed an unmarked border into Iran while hiking in the mountains. They have been detained since July 31st and had no formal charges presented to them. They are being held in the Evin prison in Tehran, and have only been able to contact their families once.
I remember writing a blog post about Laura and Euna after 114 Days in Captivity - thinking about all the things that had happened in my life during that time. The trivial everyday things one doesn't pay attention to and the momentous ones like my daughter graduating from pre-school and my nephew speaking in full sentences.
It has been 236 days since Shane, Sarah and Josh have been in captivity.
236 days.
Their families are desperately trying to keep their story alive and relevant. From what we saw with Laura and Euna's situation, the petitions and ecards and pressure resulted in attention and action. The strangers who signed petitions, sent them letters, talked about them gave them hope and solace. They also gave their families the support to know that their voices were being heard.
To learn more about Shane, Sarah and Josh, visit www.freethehikers.org. You can also sign a petition and send an ecard to the Iranian consulate asking for their release.
Mallika Chopra is the founder of Intent.com, a site focused on personal, social and global wellness.