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

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University of Melbourne academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert appears on ‘The Modern Middle East’ in 2017. Photo: AP

Published: 5:11pm, 4 Aug 2020Updated: 5:13pm, 4 Aug 2020

The family of a British-Australian academic jailed in Iran on spying charges said on Tuesday they were “reassured” after Australian officials found her well during a consular visit.

Kylie Moore-Gilbert, a specialist in Middle East politics, has been detained in Iran since September 2018, when she was arrested at the airport while trying to leave the country after attending an academic conference.

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.

“Dr Moore-Gilbert is well and has access to food, medical facilities and books,” Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement on Tuesday.

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