Sean Penn Behind Negotiations to Free American Hostages in Iran
After it was reported that American hostages were returned from Iran following two years of imprisonment, reports surfaced that actor Sean Penn had his hand in gaining their freedom.
According to Reuters reports, Penn personally flew to Venezuela and spoke with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez about mediating the situation with Iranian leaders.
Reuters learned from the Venezuela deputy foreign minister that Chavez, influenced by “American intellectual circles” spoke to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, his ally in Iran.
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"The American 'intellectual' who took up the case with him was Sean Penn," a source told Reuters. "Penn was very committed to the case .He flew to Caracas several months ago to raise it with Chavez and he kept on it."
The two Americans, Joshua Fattal and Shane Bauer were detained in Iran after found illegally hiking in 2009. Before their release, the two had no contact with their family for close to a year.
The hostage situation between Iran and the United States is nothing new. The two countries have been going through 30 years of dissension, after American diplomats were detained for 444 days at the U.S. Embassy in the country’s capital. The two men spoke about their experiences as the latest hostages to be released from the country.
"Solitary confinement was the worst experience of all of our lives," Fattal said. "We lived in a world of lies and false hope."
With the help of Penn, the two 29-year-old men were freed on $1 million bail.
Although Penn’s people confirmed with Reuters that he helped save the two Americans, they did not provide further details. However this is not the first time that Penn, an Oscar award-winning actor, has shown his passion for overcoming social injustices.
In the past, Penn spoke about former President George W. Bush and involved himself in relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina and Haiti’s earthquake victims.
