Sarah Shourd is an American journalist, author and playwright. She is an advocate against the overuse of solitary confinement in prisons.[1] In 2009 and 2010, she was held as a political hostage in Iran's Evin Prison for 410 days under accusations of espionage. She subsequently coauthored a book about the experience with her fellow hostages, Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer. On September 14, 2010, the Iranian government released Shourd to the care of the Omani government.[2]