[ad_1]
A British-Australian academic jailed for spying by Iran was released after two “traumatic” years behind bars, in an exchange for three Iranians linked to a failed bomb scheme in Bangkok.
Middle Eastern academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert said leaving Iran was “bittersweet” despite the “injustices” suffered over more than 800 days in detention in the country’s harshest jails.
“I came to Iran as a friend and with friendly intentions,” she said, praising the Iranian people “kind-hearted, generous and courageous,” despite what she called a “long and traumatic ordeal.”
The 33-year-old was arrested by Iran’s hardline Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in 2018, after attending an academic conference in central Iran’s holy city of Qom.
She was later charged with espionage and sentenced to ten years in prison.
His release was achieved as part of a prisoner swap for three men: Masoud Sedaghatzadeh, Mohammad Khazaei and Saeid Moradi, all linked to a failed plot to assassinate Israeli diplomats in Thailand in 2012.
Thai prison authorities have confirmed that Sedaghatzadeh and Moradi were transferred back to Iran as prisoners, while Khazaei received a royal pardon in August.
The first images of a released Dr. Moore-Gilbert appeared on Iranian state television last night, sparking the joy of friends and family who had campaigned for her freedom and to maintain her innocence.
“We are relieved and ecstatic,” the family said in a statement. “We cannot convey the overwhelming happiness we all feel at this incredible news.”
In images broadcast by Iran’s Irib news agency from Tehran airport, Dr. Moore-Gilbert was seen wearing a headscarf and a mask, accompanied by the Australian ambassador.
Apparently aware of the camera, he removed his mask to confirm his identity.
Irib also showed images of three men draped in Iranian flags and being greeted as heroes by officials, including the deputy foreign minister.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he had spoken with Dr Moore-Gilbert and confirmed that he would receive medical and psychological support upon his return to Australia, which has been complicated by Covid-19 restrictions and mandatory 14 quarantine. days.
“She is an incredible Australian who has been through an ordeal that we can only imagine and it will be a difficult transition for her,” he told a virtual press conference.
The University of Melbourne professor of Islamic studies herself said in a statement that she was facing a “challenging period of adjustment” in her home country of Australia.
Letters smuggled out of the prison spoke of Dr. Moore-Gilbert’s deep psychological and legal struggles.
She wrote that the first 10 months she spent in a wing of Tehran’s notorious Evin prison had “severely damaged” her mental health.
“I am still denied phone calls and visits, and I fear that my mental and emotional state will deteriorate further if I remain in this extremely restrictive detention room,” he said.
He also related that he rejected Tehran’s offer to work as a spy.
“I am not a spy. I have never been a spy and I have no interest in working for an espionage organization in any country.”
He said he had been shown two different draft decisions on his appeal: one for a 13-month sentence, another confirming the original 10-year sentence.
She was eventually transferred to the general women’s section of Evin prison, where British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was detained until she was granted temporary leave due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s husband said he was “really happy” when he told her about the release of Dr. Moore-Gilbert.
During Dr. Moore-Gilbert’s internment, friends and family had become increasingly critical of Australia’s diplomatic approach.
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said the publication followed “determined work” and described the case as “complex and delicate”.
The US State Department welcomed the release of Dr. Moore-Gilbert, but said she “should never have been imprisoned,” accusing Iran of “hostage diplomacy.”
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, in a tweet, called on Iran to “release all remaining British citizens with dual citizenship” detained in the country.
Iran, which has strained relations with the West, has arrested several foreign nationals over the years, often on charges of espionage.
[ad_2]