Iran released researcher Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who was arrested in September 2018 while on vacation in the country, on suspicion of being a spy. Moore-Gilbert was released from prison in exchange for the release of three Iranians detained in Thailand. According to Tehran, they were “a businessman and two other citizens imprisoned on unfounded charges”. Moore-Gilbert was accused of “working for the Zionist regime”, ie Israel. A specialist in Middle Eastern politics at the University of Melbourne, she was sentenced to ten years in prison.
Australian diplomacy has accelerated negotiations for his release after his transfer to Qarchak prison, notorious for his health and safety conditions, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic that has hit Iran and the prison system hard. . Kylie, who has dual British and Australian citizenship, also suffered from depression. In a video released by the Iranian media she is seen in good condition, wearing a chador and a mask on her face.
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