Jailed in Iran for spying, Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert ‘well’ after consular visit, officials say
- Kylie Moore-Gilbert has been detained in Iran since September 2018, when she was arrested at the airport after attending an academic conference
- She is serving a 10 year sentence for espionage, is often held in solitary confinement and has frequently attempted suicide, according to reports
Jailed academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert’s family denies reports of torture, suicide attempts
Australian ambassador Lyndall Sachs visited Moore-Gilbert on Sunday amid heightened concerns for the academic’s health and welfare following reports that she has frequently attempted suicide and is often held in solitary confinement.
Moore-Gilbert was initially sent to Tehran’s Evin Prison, but was recently moved to the Qarchak women’s prison – an old chicken-processing factory outside Tehran.
A group of her friends last week launched a public campaign to win her freedom, saying that Australia’s strategy of quiet diplomacy had failed.
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Her family said they “have been reassured” by Sunday’s visit and reiterated their support for Australia’s approach to the case.
“We remain committed to getting our Kylie home as soon as possible and this is our top and only priority,” the statement released by the foreign ministry said.
“We continue to believe that Kylie’s best chance at release is through diplomatic avenues.”
A “Free Kylie” group said last week Australia’s government should explore every option and urged Australians to petition members of parliament and the media to raise awareness.
She is serving a 10-year sentence for spying, a charge she has denied.
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In a statement, Australia’s foreign ministry also rejected the calls for a more muscular campaign, adding that the embassy would “continue to seek regular consular access to Dr Moore-Gilbert”.
The Centre for Human Rights in Iran, a US-based organisation, said last week that Moore-Gilbert was being held with violent criminals under harsh conditions.
Reza Khandan, husband of human rights lawyer and Evin Prison inmate Nasrin Sotoudeh, posted on social media that Moore-Gilbert had been transferred “as a form of punishment”.
Australia describes Moore-Gilbert’s case as one of its highest priorities.
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Moore-Gilbert has gone on hunger strikes during her time in custody and pleaded for the Australian government to do more to free her during almost two years in custody.
She wrote to Australia’s prime minister last year that she has been “subjected to grievous violations of my legal and human rights, including psychological torture and spending prolonged periods of time in solitary confinement”.
Iran has stepped up detentions of foreign and dual nationals amid a protracted stand-off with Western powers, after the US withdrew from an international agreement to curb Iranian nuclear activities and reimposed sanctions on Tehran in 2018.
Agence France-Presse, Reuters, Associated Press
